


The Box

by Civilliany



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Pandora Myth AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-23
Updated: 2015-11-18
Packaged: 2018-02-18 12:13:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 42,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2348075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Civilliany/pseuds/Civilliany
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An Olicity re-telling of the Pandora's Box Myth: </p><p>He understood the concept of love, he should since he was married to the Goddess of Love, but never has he truly experienced it until he met her. Falling in love with her was effortless, but the Fates would not allow their love to flourish. Her destiny was set from the moment of her creation. For centuries he has mourned her, hidden himself away from the world, from his duties, from his family, but no more. A battle is brewing between Olympus and the Underworld, sides must be taken, and she is caught in the middle. Now he is forced to relive the past in the present world. He once again can bask in her light and her love. The question is for how long?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Creation

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea for a fic for a long time and I just had to get it out. I've loved Greek mythology ever since I was a little girl. There's just something about it that calls to be explored and written about. The Pandora Myth is one of my favourites and I wanted to do something different with it within the context of Olicity. So I've started to write it. I've tried to stay as close as to the myths concerning each of the gods and goddesses, but this is my own re-telling so I will make certain changes as I see fit. 
> 
> As always I hope you enjoy the story and enjoy the journey I plan to take you on. :)
> 
> Below is the guide to the gods so as not to get confused while reading. As well, sections that are italicized are flashbacks. 
> 
> Guide to the Gods: 
> 
> Pandora = Felicity  
> Hephaestus = Oliver  
> Poseidon = Diggle  
> Epimetheus = Ray  
> Zeus = Robert  
> Hera = Moira  
> Hades = Malcolm  
> Athena = Thea  
> Hermes = Roy  
> Aphrodite = Laurel  
> Ares = Tommy  
> Nike = Sara

 

 

* * *

_He could see her so clearly from the open window, like the sun shining through the clouds. He could not help but be drawn to her. He could not resist, no matter how hard he tried. He had been drawn to her from the moment of her creation. Her voice, her smile, the pink in her cheek, her quick wit, her curiosity, her mind, her beauty, all gifts from the Gods. She was named for those gifts, Pandora, the ‘all-gifted’. But she was so much more than the gifts bestowed upon her; she made each gift her own._ _But it was not only those gifts that made him fall in love with her. Her kindness, her strength, her quick use of words, and her light are what he fell for, all of which were of her own creation. He fell in love with her, a deep, unabiding love, but a love never to be fulfilled. The Fates would not allow it, neither would the almighty Zeus._

_She was created for a single purpose, to show the mortals what it meant to defy the Gods. Prometheus stole fire from Olympus and gave it to the mortals and he paid dearly for the transgression. Zeus did not believe it was enough, mortals had to be a taught a lesson, and so he created her. Pandora was to be the bride of Epimetheus, Prometheus’s brother.  Zeus gifted her a box, a present he said, that she must never open. But they had imbued her with an unquenchable curiosity, and so she opened the box. He tried to warn her, he tried to save her, but it was all for naught, for within the box was all the evils of the world. These evils ravaged the Earth, creating death and chaos in the wake of their path. It took all of them to contain those evils in the box once again. To ensure that those evils would never be unleashed again, Zeus threw the box into the Four Winds to be carried off to the ends of the world._

_But he lost her. The evils that she unwittingly unleashed stole her from him, dragged her into the pits of the Underworld. Grief overtook him, grief that no Gods could shake. So he retreated. He hid himself from the world, from his family, and from his duties. He tried so desperately to remember every look, every touch, and every conversation that they had ever shared together. He let the darkness consume him. Never since had he wanted to reach beyond the walls he had erected around himself. He lost his light, so he must live in the darkness._

**…**

He sat as he sculpted another piece of metal yet another mask. The intricate nature of the metal work allowed his mind to be completely free of thought. In these moments he allowed himself a brief moment of peace from her. He missed her almost every waking moment. He had lived so long without her, the curse of being an immortal, to love but only to see that love wither away. He had remained in the dark for so long that he could not remember the feel of sunlight upon his skin. His hearth was the only source of light in the dungeons he called home.

 

He heard the knocking upon the gates of his home. How long had it been since they had come looking for him? He could not remember. Nor did he care. They were part of the reason she was gone, they gave her the gifts that took her away from him. And for that he would continue to ignore them.

 

“Really, Hephaestus, you’re going to ignore us for how long,” questioned Zeus.

 

“Hello, father,” Hephaestus replied clinically, “to what do I owe this invasion of my home?”

 

“You’ve ignored your duties long enough, Hephaestus? You’ve continued to ignore your mother, your sister, and myself. Do you remember Aphrodite? Your wife? You’ve ignored her for far too long as well. You have locked yourself away in your dungeons long enough, Hephaestus. It is time you retake your rightful place on Olympus.”

 

He chuckled, his voice displayed no emotion.

 

“I wager that mother, dear sister, and you, father have missed me little. And my wife, dear Aphrodite, and the marriage that you pushed us into that neither of us wanted. I suspect she’s been having a splendid time with dear old Ares. And my duties, exactly what duties do you speak of father. There is no need for new weapons or cages or sculptures. My duties seem obsolete, father. Tell me the true reason as to your presence.”

 

“You’ve hidden yourself away for so long that you have not bared witness to the changes that have occurred. The mortals on Earth have flourished and are now in a moment of relative peace. And peace means no chaos or destruction. Something that Hades thrives on. He has been searching for the box, son, and I believe that he has found it. There is only one person capable of opening the box, and that is Pandora.”

 

“Well isn’t it good for you that she’s dead then, father. There is no way that dear old uncle Hades could open the box.”

 

“That is where you are wrong, my boy. Pandora has been reincarnated. She lives among the mortals of the Earth once again, oblivious to her true nature and power. You must find her, Hephaestus. You must protect her from Hades and his minions, for I am sure that he will try and lure her into opening the box. As I hope you will remember, only she can open the box and only of her own free will. She cannot be forced into opening the box. I fear that Hades will find a way to trick her into opening the box somehow. You must find her. You must protect her at all cost. I feel a battle brewing, Hephaestus. Hades’ powers are dwindling. He is desperate and will do whatever it takes to ensure that he regains such powers. You remember the last time that those evils were unleased upon the Earth and mankind? Do you? It was near total destruction. We cannot allow it to happen another time.”

 

“Why me, father? I’m sure you or any of my other brothers and sisters could find her if you wanted to. I’m sure that you would be more than capable of protecting her from Hades and his minions.”

 

“We know that she has been reincarnated as a mortal on Earth. And we know the area in which she lives in. But we are not capable of finding her, Hephaestus. The Fates have determined that you, and only you, can find her. And you must find her and protect her.”

 

Silence permeated the dungeon as he pondered what his father had ordered him to do. The possibility of seeing her, being near her, being able to touch her, was so alluring. But then he remembered the blinding pain of losing her, the pain that remained within him every day since he had lost her centuries ago, the pain that would pierce him once again when he would be forced to leave her. He knows that losing her again would be the end of him. He would not survive the pain this time. Immortality could not withstand the blades and arrows of his sisters and brothers if he so asked.

 

His brain warred with his heart. But it was no use. His decision was already made since the moment Zeus had told him she was alive.

 

**…**

 

To feel the beating of the sun upon his skin after spending so long in the darkness was quite a change.

 

He had agreed to father’s orders. He would find Pandora and would protect her with his life if need be from Hades and his minions. This time he would ensure that the box would remain closed. This time he would ensure she lived. No matter the cost.

 

Athena had given him a suit of armour invisible to the naked eye, while Nike had given him a bow and arrows, both were parting gifts to ensure his protection of Pandora. And Hermes, ever the messenger, had directed him to the city that she lived in. But that was as much as they were allowed to do. No one could help him beyond this point.

 

He had to acclimate to the practices of the mortals. The identity that he had been set up with was quite nice. He was a billionaire philanthropist, trying to help save the Earth and its people one charity at a time. He had gotten himself a cellular phone, as well as a laptop. He’d seen nearly every mortal constantly carrying one, moving their thumbs quickly over the tiny devices. He thought it quite peculiar. He wondered how much the world had changed since his self-imposed exile.

 

He sat in a coffee shop, like many other mortals, drinking something they called Caramel Macchiato. He thought the drink too sweet for his liking, but continued to drink the blasted thing. He had to look like he belonged, so he took sips from the cups like the others around him.

 

His laptop was open as he began to push the many buttons upon its surface like the other mortals around him. He had no idea what he was doing until loud sounds began emanating from the thing. He had no idea how to stop it. So he slammed the damn thing shut, hoping that it would stop.

 

A familiar voice radiated from behind him, “You know that slamming the lid down won’t stop it right? You have to turn the app off. I could show you, if you wanted me to?”

 

He knew that voice. He dreamed of that voice for so long. It was her. She had found him.

 

“Hi, I’m Oliver Queen," he said, as he turned around to face her. 

 

“Oh, I know who you are, Mr. Queen. You’re Mr. Queen, billionaire philanthropist, head of the Queen’s Global Initiative organization. I know who you are.”

 

The smile that spread across his face could not be stopped.

 

“Oliver is fine. I don’t think my full name is that long,” he joked, “what’s your name?”

 

She smiled back at him nervously.

 

“Felicity, Felicity Smoak. Would you still like me to help straighten out your laptop?”

 

“Please,” he answered quickly.

 

“I’m surprised actually. A guy like you must know how to work a laptop? I saw you smashing the keys together and it hurt my heart just a little bit. I work with computers, a lot. I actually went to MIT for computer engineering, graduated top of my class too. I actually own my own IT software company. It’s small, but I love it. And I just pretty much told you my whole life story. OMG, I'll stop babbling in 3…2…1. Here let me fix your laptop,” she said as she dragged the computer away from him and took the seat across from him.

 

While she worked on fixing whatever he had done to his computer, verbally explaining everything she was doing, he could not help but stare at her. It was like looking upon the sun. The light emanated from within her so seamlessly. She was a thing of true beauty.

 

“There, all fixed,” she said, her eyes meeting his.

 

“Thank you,” he replied, unable to tear his eyes away from hers.

 

“Have we met before,” she asks, “it’s funny? I have this feeling that we’ve met before. Weird I know, since you’re like a billionaire and I’m like a nobody. Well not a nobody, but you know a nobody compared to you.”

 

He couldn’t help but continue smiling at her. He hadn’t smiled in so long. He couldn’t believe that she was the one making him smile. He couldn’t believe she was sitting across from him.

 

“OMG," she said, as she stared at her wrist, "I have to get going. I’m going to be late for a meeting with a client, and I hate being late. I’ve got to go,” she says, as she hurriedly throws her things into her bag and stands.

 

“Wait! What if I need help with my laptop again? How do I contact you?”

 

“Umm, I’m sure you have people that could help you with that.”

 

“I like how you explain everything when you do it. It’s nice.”

 

“Well here’s my card then. Goodbye, Oliver.”

 

“Goodbye, Felicity. Maybe I’ll see you around?”

 

“Maybe,” she says, as she smiles before exiting through the doors.

 

He would see her again. Of course he would see her again. It was his job to protect her. Now he just had to think of a way to see her again. He wondered what would happen if he poured his Caramel Macchiato onto his laptop. Couldn’t hurt to try.


	2. We Meet Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy this chapter. As always I love hearing what you have to say, good or bad, so comment away!

 

* * *

 

 

_He couldn’t take his eyes off her as she wander through the olive grove. The smile that grew upon his face was not of his own volition. He couldn’t help but smile every time he was in her presence; it was like being in the presence of pure light itself. Not even Apollo himself could deny that fact._

_These were the moments he felt most alive, most complete, happier than he have ever been; these were the moments he could be with her and feel no anguish, no fear, no darkness, no shame. These were the moments he felt like he was worthy of something, of someone like her._

_Moments that were becoming rarer the longer she spent on Earth._

_She had yet to notice his presence as she continued to wander about, radiating with happiness, eyeing the blooming flowers on the many branches that surrounded her._

_He watches as she walks farther and farther away from him. He could not help but run after her. He would always run after her._

_He does little to disguise the noise of his approach, not wanting to frighten her._

_“A flower for your thoughts,” he asks, grasping a plucked flower in his hands._

_Her laughter filters through the air before she answers his question. “Are my thoughts not worthy of more than a single flower, stranger?”_

 

_“May I ask then, how many flowers would be worthy of your thoughts,” he says, as he inches closer to her._

_“How many would you say that my thoughts are worth?”_

_“Many more than I could possibly offer,” he answers quietly, knowing that the words he spoke were the truth. He is unworthy to hear any of her thoughts. He is unworthy of her kindness. He is unworthy to be in her presence. He is unworthy of her._

_“One is quite enough if it comes from you, Hephaestus,” says she, delicately taking the flower from his hand and grasping it in hers, offering a smile he knows that she only reserves for him._

_“Come now, Hephaestus, you can let go of that glamour of yours. It has little sway over me,” she affirms, her smile blossoming even wider than before._

_“How is it that only you can see through my glamour?”_

_“That I have no answer for, dear Hephaestus. But I’ve always been able to see you. Always,” she utters quietly, as she takes his other hand and leads him towards the edge of the grove._

_His glamour shimmers away as they move forward._

_“I say this is the fourth time that you’ve come see me, Hephaestus. What is on your mind?”_

_“Why do you think I have something on my mind,” he jests, not wanting her to know the true reason behind his appearance._

_“You have the line in between your brow and that look in your eyes. It is your something is bothering me face.”_

_“You know my faces,” he asks hesitantly._

_“I know all your faces, Hephaestus,” she says as she moves closer towards him, facing him, "I can also see through your diversions and lies as well. You may be a god, but I can still see you.”_

_He takes notice of the contrast of their hands, small and large, light and dark, smooth and rough; a visual metaphor of the two of them together, as they continue to hold onto each others._

_“So tell me what is wrong?” her voice stirring him from his train of thought. “Tell me what’s bothering you, Hephaestus,” she urges as she looks into his eyes._

_“Only you ever could tell that something is wrong with me, Pandora.”_

_She gives him a small innocuous smile, a smile that tells him it is all going to be okay. They talk for what feels like hours, wandering among the majestic olive trees. He feels more at peace with her than he has ever felt when he is with anyone else. He has never felt more like himself than when he is by her side. He’s never felt more in love than when he is with her._

_Their stolen moment of peace ends when the sun begins to set._

_He hates these moments, moments where he has to say goodbye, moments where he has to let her go. He feels an insurmountable surge of pain when he has to leave her. He does not want to let her go. If he could, he would hold onto her for eternity. But he knows that he can’t. The Fates will not allow him that chance. They will never allow him to be with her, as he so desperately wishes, for always and forever._

_“It’s time we bid farewell again, Pandora.”_

_“It is, isn’t it? Until we meet again, stranger,” she responds, dazzling him with her smile once more._

**…**

Oliver was unaccustomed to feeling nervous. Never had he felt this nervous in all his immortal years than at this very moment. He had faced the wrath of some of Olympus most powerful gods, he had faced the wrath of his own father and mother, and never once did he feel this anxious. Never once did he feel this knotting of his stomach because of a single individual, especially that of a mortal. But she was no ordinary mortal. She had always been unique. She had always been remarkable. Only she could ever make him feel this way, only she could ever have this kind of power over him. 

 

His fingers rubbed against each other as he watched the glowing numbers continue to climb as the elevators neared the floor that her company’s office was situated.

 

Three days had passed since their meeting in the coffee shop. Three days that he had tried to come up with a plausible excuse to see her again. Three days where thousands of ideas filtered through his mind, each one becoming more complex and implausible than the one before. He feared that she would be able to see through his excuse to come see her; she had always been able to see through his lies. He had to remind himself that Felicity was not Pandora. As much as Felicity resembled Pandora, her voice, her voice, even her mannerisms, she was not Pandora. She had lived her own life, has her own memories, and her own destiny. She was Felicity Smoak. Their destinies were never to entwine, just like his was never meant to entwine with Pandora’s.

 

He had to remind himself why he was here. Why he was doing this. Why it was worth feeling the immense pain of seeing her again, and the thought of losing her once more. He was here to ensure that the life that she lived now would not be disrupted by the battle of his family. He was here to ensure that she lived, that she lived the life that she should have lived long ago, a life filled with happiness and love. He was here to ensure that she not open the box that his father had gifted her millenniums ago. He was here to protect her, a job that he had failed to do once before.

 

The ding of the bell alerted him to the arrival at the floor at Felicity’s office was situated, stirring him from his thinking and once again igniting the butterflies in his stomach.

 

The bright colours that he notices upon entry into the office remind him of Pandora’s love for colours, a characteristic that Felicity seemed to share. The yelling of a number of individuals is what drew him deeper into the office.

 

“Lift with your legs, Barry, not your back! You’re going to going to hurt yourself. Just wait for Cisco, Barry. God, don’t you remember any of our safety training,” shouted one of the women in the group surrounding a man trying to lift a heaving looking metal crate off the ground.

 

“Would you like me to help,” asks Oliver, turning the heads of everyone in the group including the man trying to lift the box.

 

“Are you sure, it’s quite heavy,” answered the man, his face displaying the pain he was feeling.

 

“I’ve got it,” Oliver answered, moving between the parting in the group and easily picking up the heavy metal crate. “Where do you want it?”

 

“Uh, over there in the storage room,” said one of the women, pointing at an enclosed room off to the far side of the office.

 

“You must life a lot of weights at the gym,” spoke the man named Barry, awe colouring his voice.

 

“I dabble,” replied Oliver, fully knowing that his strength came not from physical exercise but his abilities as a god.

 

“Mr. Queen,” emanated from Felicity’s surprised voice, as she met Oliver’s eyes from across the room.

 

“Oliver, please. Mr. Queen is my father,” Oliver answered, a smile blossoming across his face upon seeing her.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

“I, uh, have an issue with my laptop. I spilled a latte on it,” Oliver said, smiling his most charming smile.

 

“You spilled a latte on your laptop,” she questioned, tilting her head to side, giving Oliver a look.

 

“What can I say? This laptop and I are not having the best of relationships.”

 

“Alright? You can head into my office. I’ll just be a minute. Could you show Oliver to my office, Iris?”

 

“Sure,” answered the woman that had been shouting at Barry. “Please come with me, Mr. Queen.”

 

Oliver tried not to listen in on the conversation that Felicity was having with her staff, but it couldn’t be helped. The door separating them had slightly been left conspicuously open. 

 

“Mr. Queen? As in Oliver Queen, billionaire philanthropist, head of the Queen Global Initiative organization, Oliver Queen? How? When did you meet him,” Oliver overheard one of the women asking excitedly.  

 

“I meet him in a coffee shop, Catlin. He needed help with his laptop and I helped him. And I may have given him my card,” answered Felicity.

 

“I would give him my card too,” answered the woman named Iris. “I mean just look at him! He looks like a Greek god! He lifted that metal crate all by himself! And it looked effortless. I mean, WOW!”

 

“Iris,” Felicity admonished. “He probably just needs help with his laptop and I helped him last time and I didn’t completely freak out over him being you know ‘Oliver Queen’!”

 

“Felicity you’re not just some IT girl that fixes broken laptops! You’re the founder and CEO of Smoak Technologies, one of the rising cyber security companies in the country. You don’t fix laptops! And he’s a billionaire! Why doesn’t he have an entire IT staff?” sounded Catlin.

 

“Will the two of you please stop? He can probably hear us. Oh god, he can probably hear us,” Felicity stage whispered. “Just let me handle this, okay? Go do your jobs. And please do not spy on us through the door like I know the both were planning to do!”

 

Oliver watched as she walked through the door, noticing her smooth down her dress, a sign of her nervous nature he remembered. Her nervous smile adding to his initial hypothesis.  

 

“So we meet again, stranger,” she says, stopping his breathing momentarily, bringing forth memories of stolen moments that he cherished. “Oliver,” she asks tentatively, stirring him from his moment of déjà vu. “You said needed me to help you with your laptop?”

 

“Yes. I did, didn’t I? I spilled a latte on it,” he said, smiling, “by accident of course. And I had some highly classified and time sensitive files that are on the hard drive that I really need. I remembered your card and that you, and your company, handle highly sensitive and secure computer and data issues. And I couldn’t think of anyone better to help me. So could you help me?”

 

“Yes,” she answered quickly, wide eyed staring at him, “I mean we’ve dealt with our fair share of highly sensitive cyber information and tech. But these cracks don’t look like you spilt a latte on them. They look like someone took a hammer to laptop.”

 

“My coffee shop is in the midst of a renovation,” he answered, seeing the look in her eyes. A look he had seen many times before, the look that said ‘do you seriously expect me to believe your bullshit’.

 

“Okay. Well I’ll do my best to retrieve your files for you. I have some things to do at the moment. Is there a way that I can contact you for you to pick up your files?”

 

“Can I drop by tomorrow? I can bring you lunch, as a thank you for helping me,” Oliver says, trying to temper the anticipation and excitement that began to colour his voice.

 

“Lunch sounds good,” Felicity replied quietly, a slight flush colouring her cheeks.

 

“Tomorrow it is then. I’ll see you tomorrow, Felicity.” His face lit up with a devastating smile and a twinkle in his eyes in anticipation of seeing her again.

 

**…**

And for weeks Oliver kept returning to see Felicity, asking for her help with issues that he had carefully manufactured, and even having Queen Global Initiative become a client of Smoak Technologies in the process. He always brought lunch with him or took her out to lunch as a thank you for her personal help.

 

In those weeks, over those meetings, he got to know the woman that he had loved for centuries even better. He discovered so many more things about her that he had previously been unaware of. He learnt of her favourite books, movies, music, places that she had been to, places that she still wanted to go. He learnt to tell the difference between all her mannerisms and pet peeves. He learnt about her love for a good glass of red wine and how she took her coffee. He learnt about her dreams and what she wanted in life.

 

The more he learnt about her, about Felicity, the more he fell in love with her.

 

In so many ways she was Pandora, the woman that he loved for so long. And in so many ways she was Felicity, this modern independent woman, which he had fallen in love with. His love for her only grew and solidified, acknowledging a fact he already knew, he would always love her, no matter time or distance. From the moment he had met her she had captured his heart. It would forever belong to her, and only her. And she didn’t even know it.

 

Oliver tried to push back the thought of being forced to be parted from her once again when Hades’ plan was vanquished. But try as he might, he could not let go of the mission that had been handed to him by his father. He had to ensure Felicity’s protection from Hades and his many minions. He had to ensure that she never open that damned box once again. He had to ensure that her blood would not colour his hands once more. He vowed that this time would be different. This time he would keep her safe.This time he would keep her alive. No matter what the cost. 

 

They had just arrived back at the office from their lunch at a café nearby when Iris rushed into them.

 

“What’s the hurry, Iris,” asked Felicity.

 

“Ray is here,” Iris said, with a knowing look in her eyes.

 

“Who's Ray,” questioned Oliver, having never heard Felicity mention him before.

 

“Ray went to school with Felicity at MIT. They were rivals before they became friends. He even tried to get her to go work with him at Merlyn Global. She declined of course and created her successful company,” Iris answered, before giving Felicity a chance to even speak.

 

“Do you know why he’s here, Iris?”

 

“No idea, but he’s waiting for you in your office.”

 

“Do you think you can wait for me to deal with Ray, Oliver? I know that you really wanted to get to know some of the protocols that we’re going to be initiating for QGI.”

 

“It’s alright, Felicity. I can wait,” replied Oliver, wanting to at least get a glimpse of who this Ray was before leaving.

 

“Great! It’s always a quickie with Ray,” Felicity announced, before her eyes went wide with the knowledge of what she just said. “I didn’t mean that kind of quickie. I meant that I’ll try to deal with whatever Ray needs as fast as possible. I’m going to stop talking now and go deal with that,” she said, before turning quickly and walking her into her office.

 

“So what’s the real story, Iris,” Oliver questioned, staring after Felicity, knowing Iris knew more then she had let on about Ray.

 

“Other than that Ray is Felicity’s college friend? He’s also kind of infatuated with her. Not in a creepy sense though. Felicity and Ray tried dating, but Felicity felt that they were better off as friends than as anything more. I don’t think Ray has let the idea of them together as a couple go though.  He always comes to see Felicity when he’s in town on business but nothing has really developed from it. They’re just friends. So you have nothing to worry about.”

 

“Why would I worry?”

 

Oliver was leveled with a raised eyebrow from Iris. “Right, because your only intention by coming by every week to see my boss, while bringing her or taking her to lunch, is to get her to help you with your ‘computer problems’?”

 

“Like I’ve said before, computers and I don’t go together well.”

 

“Whatever you say, Mr. Queen,” said Iris with a knowing smile and a wink.

 

“I’ll look into it, Ray. I promise. Thanks for dropping by.” Oliver heard Felicity say as she walked towards him with Ray trailing beside her.

 

Anger, fear, and jealousy began to claw at Oliver the moment he laid his eyes upon Ray.

 

Oliver knew Ray, he knew him better as Epimetheus. Epimetheus was the brother of Prometheus, the one who stole fire from his own hearth and gave it the humans on Earth. Prometheus paid the price for such a betrayal but it wasn’t enough for Zeus. Zeus wanted Prometheus to suffer. He knew of the close brotherly bond between Epimetheus and Prometheus, and he used that relationship against them. Zeus created Pandora for the sole reason of making Prometheus suffer; by not only destroying the humans he so loved but also by destroying his brother. Pandora was created to be Epimetheus’s wife. And as a wedding gift Zeus gifted them the box, a box that she was told not to open, the box that contained many great evils and ills that would scorch the Earth if they were to be unleased. But Zeus imbued her with such a curious nature that she couldn’t help but open the box, unleashing devastation on Earth, killing Epimetheus in the process. Epimetheus was one of the reasons why Pandora had died.  

 

Oliver’s haze was only disrupted by Felicity’s voice.

 

“Ray Palmer, Oliver Queen. Oliver Queen, Ray Palmer,” Felicity says, introducing the two men.

 

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Palmer,” says Oliver, giving Ray a near bone-breaking handshake.

 

“It’s a pleasure, Mr. Queen. That's quite a powerful handshake you got there,” Ray responds, before turning to Felicity, “I’ll see you Felicity. And let me know if you find anything out.”

 

“I will. Goodbye, Ray.”

 

“What was that about,” asks Iris.

 

“Ray just wanted us to look into some discrepancies that he’s noticed within his department at Merlyn Global. I’ve upload the files to the system. If you and Catlin can go over it and see if you can find anything, could you let me know?”

 

“Sure thing, Felicity, we’ll get right on it.”

 

“Let’s get you updated on the improvements we’ve made to your system, Oliver. And hopefully you don’t corrupt it with a powerful virus again. I seriously still don’t know how you did that the first time,” Felicity said, shaking her head as she led them into her office.

 

**…**

The anger, fear and jealously that Oliver felt upon seeing Ray did not subside as he returned to his penthouse apartment. Ray’s appearance in Felicity’s life was not something he had anticipated nor wanted. Ray would only become an obstacle to his mission in protecting Felicity, like he had been the first time around. It was with Epimetheus encouragement that Pandora had willingly opened the box that Zeus had gifted her as a wedding gift.

 

He loathed Epimetheus. He envied Epimetheus. Epimetheus had everything that he could only dream of and he was foolish enough to believe that the betrayal by his brother against gods would not go unpunished.

 

The thousands of questions were running through his mind as to Ray’s place in Felicity’s life, and what his appearance had to do with his mission in protecting her made Oliver oblivious to the dark shadow in the corner of his living room.

 

“Really, Hephaestus,” sounded a dark and menacing voice, “I thought I taught you better than this.”

 

“What makes you think I didn’t notice your presence?”

 

“If you did then I would not still be standing.”

 

“It’s good to see you to, Uncle,” Oliver chuckled, finally noticing Poseidon’s presence in his apartment.

 

“We need to talk, Hephaestus.” Dread invading Oliver’s senses as he heard Poseidon’s words. “ Your mission may have been compromised.”


	3. The Reveal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that a new chapter has taken this long, my muse has not been as cooperative as I had hoped. I hope you enjoy the chapter as much as I had fun writing it. :)
> 
> Here's a refresher on guide to the gods:   
> Pandora = Felicity  
> Hephaestus = Oliver  
> Poseidon = Diggle  
> Epimetheus = Ray  
> Zeus = Robert  
> Hera = Moira  
> Hades = Malcolm  
> Athena = Thea  
> Hermes = Roy  
> Aphrodite = Laurel  
> Ares = Tommy  
> Nike = Sara

********

* * *

 

_The light of the setting sun bathed the throne room in a soft glow, highlighting the architecture of the throne room. No room on Earth or Olympus could match the beauty of this room, a room built for and by the gods and goddesses of Olympus. But the beauty and magnificence of the room could not lessen the disdain he felt when he was in this room and all that it signified._

_This room, for all its glory, was just a stage. Where performances won arguments and wars, where lies and secrets were traded like currency, where betrayals and dishonesty reigned, where friendship and blood did not assure loyalty from one another._

_No decision ever made in this room had ever brought him any benefit or happiness. They had only brought him disappointment, distrust, and heartbreak._

_He hated being in this room. It had been years since he had stepped within it, ignoring all calls for his presence by the others, mostly made by his mother, Hera. He had no reason to care about the actions of the others. And they had no real reason to question his absence, unless they needed something built. The majority of them respected his self-appointed seclusion._

_His presence had been requested by Zeus. And he could not ignore his father’s request. Zeus does not do requests. Zeus demands. And when he does, every being on Earth and Olympus heeds his commands. And those who do not pay a dear price, a price he had witnessed countless times before._

_He couldn’t help but notice the throne at the center of the room, Zeus’s throne. It was the grandest of all the twelve thrones that resided within the room. It was the throne that he had forged himself with his own bare hands at Zeus’s request. The magnificence of the throne paled in comparison to the power that resided within it. Zeus had imbued the throne with his own power, ensuring that he and only he could reside on the throne. Only upon his death could another be seated in the throne. And Zeus would never allow that to happen. His father was a paranoid megalomaniac, the most powerful of all the gods. No one could match his power but that of the titans, all of whom were either dead or trapped in Tartarus. The prison he had helped to construct. Zeus, the Father of Gods, would forever remain in power, controlling the world with a wave of his hands._

_“Hephaestus,” said Zeus, as he walked through one of the many doors that accessed the throne room, “it’s good to see that you actually listen, son.”_

_“Did I really have a choice, father?”_

_“You always have a choice, Hephaestus.”_

_He laughed at his father’s word, knowing how fictitious they truly were._

_“Why did you require my presence, father. I do not believe that my skills are needed for whatever you have planned.”_

_“Do you remember Prometheus?”_

_“Yes,” bitterness creeping into Hephaestus’s voice as he remembers the insignificant fool of a god. Prometheus had stolen fire from his hearth to give to the mortals against Zeus’s wishes.  “What about him?”_

_“Do you remember his brother, Epimetheus?”_

_“Somewhat,” Hephaestus replied, vaguely recounting meeting the deity years ago._

_“Did you know of the close relationship between the two brothers?”_

_“No, I did not,” responded Hephaestus, noting the excitement in his father’s voice. “What are you planning, father?”_

_“Prometheus may be paying for his transgressions, greatly and painfully I might add, but I do not think he has paid enough. Don’t you agree?”_

_“What are you planning, father,” said Oliver, knowing the immensity of his father’s thirst for vengeance._

_“Epimetheus remains unmarried. Would it not be nice to present him with a wife?”_

_“And who are you about to gift him, father? Not one of my sisters, I hope,” uneasiness tinging his voice, fearing for his sisters wellbeing._

_“Do not worry, Hephaestus. Your sisters are too precious to be subjected to such a fate. No, I had something, or someone else in mind. Come see, Hephaestus,” said Zeus, gesturing him towards one of the windows._

_Dread seeped into him as he approached the window. While he was both surprised and grateful that none of his sisters would be subjected to such a part in his father’s plan, he could not help but feel remorse for the woman that would be. Those who become ensnared in Zeus’s plan, whether immortal or mortal, never truly benefit from such a part. Only Zeus ever benefited from his own plans._

_“Her name is Pandora,” spoke Zeus, as he pointed out the windows towards a blonde woman wandering in the meadow. “Her creation was granted by the Fates, a trade of sorts on my part to do it, but one well worth it.”_

_“And what do you exactly plan to do, father?”_

_“That is for my knowledge and mine alone, dear boy.”_

_“Then why am I hear, father,” spoke Hephaestus, becoming tired of his father’s melodramatic and paranoid nature._

_“I need you to keep her company, son, as well as keep her safe for the time being. I cannot implement my plan yet and she cannot fall into the wrong hands.”_

_“Do you not think that any of my other brothers or sisters would be better suited for the position,” state Hephaestus, not wanting any part in his father’s revenge plot._

_“A number of your brothers or sisters would of course be better suited for the part. However, you, unlike your brother and sisters, would not have ulterior motives to use her to further your own powers and status. Unlike your brothers and sisters you do not wish to propel your own powers to which that are greater than mine,” Zeus said before placing his hand on his shoulder. “I trust you more than your brothers and sisters, Hephaestus. I know that our relationship has not been the most pleasant, especially during that of your childhood. But believe me, son, you and only you are capable of doing this.”_

_He was not swayed by his father’s praise. He had long ago dismissed the need for his father’s praise. He knew he was not Zeus’s favourite son. Too much had happened between the two of them to ever rectify the damage that had been done. But he knew he would agree, not for Zeus’s sake of course, but for the girl’s. If he could somehow protect her from the pain he was sure she would experience as Zeus’s pawn, he would at least give it a try._

_“Good,” said a delighted Zeus before he could answer. “You should go down to the meadow and meet her. Get to know her. Keep her company. Protect her. I will come for her when the time comes.”_

_He should be use to his father’s behaviour and arrogance by now, but times like these, times where Zeus’s considered only himself still seem to infuriate him._

_His infuriation with his father only grew and he walked into the meadow. While he knew he was going to agree to his father’s decision, he was never given the choice in the matter. His father never considered his wants or needs. Zeus was only ever concerned for himself._

_It was in his absent-minded musing that he failed to notice her presence, stumbling into her._

_“I am so sorry,” Hephaestus apologized. “Are you alright,” he asked, his hands automatically surrounding her to keep her from falling to the ground._

_“I’m alright,” Pandora said, sightlessly breathless, clinging to him. Her head titled up slightly to stare into his eyes._

_His breath stopped short the moment their eyes met. The clarity, the brightness, the vivid shade of blue that was her eyes pierced something deep within him. He felt electrified and calmed, all in the same moment, staring into her eyes. He couldn’t explain what he was feeling. And he couldn’t understand why._

_“You sure,” he asked._

_“Very sure,” she answered, smiling a small smile, her eyes lighting up._

_He couldn’t help but smile in response. There was just something about her that made him feel alive, really alive, for the first time, in a very long time. He had yet to relinquish her from the hold of arms and she made no move to part from him either. Each equally clinging on to each other as they continued their conversation._

_“Hephaestus. My name is Hephaestus.”_

_“It is very nice to meet you, Hephaestus. I’m Pandora.”_

**…**

“How can my mission already be compromised? It’s barely begun,” voiced Oliver, stunned by Poseidon’s revelation.

 

“Hades,” spoke Poseidon through a clenched jaw. “It seems that there is no end to the depths that my brothers can sink in their war against each other. Hades planted a mole within Zeus’s inner circle, one that has been thoroughly been dealt with I might add. The mole learned of Zeus’s plan to use you to find and protect Pandora on Earth. What we don’t know is if the mole was able to deliver the information to Hades before he was discovered.”

 

Oliver’s fingers began rubbing against each other as he began to pace the length of the room. He tried to calm the emotions, the anger, the frustration, and the fear, that began swirling within him. He could barely comprehend what he had just been told. He thought he had more time, more time with her. More time to get to know her, to get to know the woman she was today. He thought he had more time to protect her. His chest constricted every time his mind strayed to his memories of losing her the first time.  

 

“Ray,” Oliver spit out, anger tinging his voice. “Hades knows,” Oliver sighs. “Hades must have found a way to reincarnate Epimetheus and insert him into Felicity’s life. Hades has already found her.”

 

Oliver slumped onto the couch, physically shaken by the realization that Hades had found Felicity. He had failed. He had failed to protect her once again. His mission was a failure before it ever began. This time he wasn’t even given a fighting chance to save her.

 

“Hephaestus,” Poseidon spoke quietly. “Hades may have found her, but you can still protect her. You can still save her,” his words, an attempt to cast doubt on the thoughts running through Oliver’s mind. “I know the toll of losing her took on you. I know the pain, the agony, the heartbreak that you felt when you lost Pandora. You locked yourself away from the world, from your family, for centuries. You can protect her this time, Hephaestus. You can save her this time. Don’t let this information cast doubt on your abilities or your mission. You’re stronger, wiser, and more capable of protecting her this time. And this time you won’t be protecting her alone. You have Athena, Hermes, Nike, and I to help protect her. We will help you protect her. Trust us, Hephaestus. Trust yourself.”

 

“How can I trust myself? I couldn’t protect her the first time, Poseidon. I failed,” Oliver screamed. “I watched her die! I watched the light disappear from her eyes as I held her,” his voice broke, “as I held her as life emptied from her body. I watched the one person that I love the most, the one person that made everything right in the world die in front of my eyes! And I could have stopped it. I could have-”

 

“STOP! Just stop! Stop thinking that way, Hephaestus. There was no way that you could have stopped her death the first time. Pandora’s fate was written the moment she was created. You were the anomaly. You were never supposed to fall in love with her, and she with you. But her fate has yet to be written in this life. You can save her. You just have to stop doubting yourself. You have to believe that the love between the two of you is true. You just have to believe that the love that you have for each other is strong enough to get through this.”

 

Oliver leaned his head back against the couch, the weariness of the situation sinking into his bones. As hard as he tried, he could not erase the images from his mind of the day he lost her, the feel of her body in his arms. He could not erase the pain of losing her from his heart and mind. He was drawn out of his spiraling thoughts by the beeping of his phone.

 

The message was from Felicity, telling him that she was free for lunch tomorrow if he wished to join her.

 

“So does she ask you out on all your dates? Or have you actually asked her out on a date?” teased Poseidon, pointedly smirking at him, trying to change the subject of their conversation. “Come on, you look like you need to fight, boy. You must have some sort of sparring area somewhere. And, of course, prepare yourself for the loss you are to be the recipient of.”

 

“You really think you can beat me, old man?” Oliver bantered, before heading towards his home gym. He could always trust Poseidon to be the voice of reason and reprieve when he needed it the most.

 

**…**

 

“You really don’t have to accompany me, Poseidon. I don’t need chaperon,” sounded a slightly annoyed Oliver, as they walked towards Big Belly Burger to meet Felicity for lunch. Poseidon’s presence, while annoying, put him at ease. Knowing that he had allies when it came to Felicity’s protection, especially after learning of Hades new involvement, was a great comfort.

 

“And miss out on a nervous you on a date? Come now, Oliver. I would gladly help strand Odysseus again just to see you like this,” jested Poseidon, smirking. “You chose a good name by the way. Oliver Queen,” he nods, “the name suits you.”

 

Oliver sighed as he breezed through the door of Big Belly, knowing there was no way to throw Poseidon off his track even if he desperately wanted to. He was nervous. He was always nervous around her. How could he not? He has loved this woman for centuries. His memories of her, of their time together, were the only things that kept him going in his darkest moments in the centuries that came after losing her. He had every right to be nervous, this is the woman he held his heart in the palm of her hands and she doesn’t even know it.

 

Once again, he could not help the stop the blossoming of the smile upon his faced as his eyes landed on Felicity. She paid no mind to his obvious gawking of her, as her eyes remained squarely on the tablet she was holding.  

 

“You really need to learn to control those heart eyes, boy. You look like you’ve been stricken by one of Eros’s arrows. I’m already nauseated and you haven’t even talked to her yet,” deadpanned Poseidon, staring straight at Oliver.

 

“Shut up!”

 

“And touchy too,” Poseidon chuckled. “Oh, I am mostly definitely going to enjoy this!”

 

“Hey,” Oliver said when they reached the table.

 

“Hey,” Felicity responded, smiling. “Who is this?”

 

“John. John Diggle,” Digg responded before Oliver could, “but please call me Digg. Everyone does. It’s very nice to finally meet you, Felicity. I’ve heard so much about you,” Digg continued, shaking her hand in the process.

 

“And I’ve heard absolutely nothing about you,” responded Felicity, tilting her head slightly and glaring at Oliver.

 

“Well, then, it’s a good thing that I am here then. Isn’t it, Oliver?” Digg said, clapping his hand on Oliver’s back, mirth dancing in his eyes and a smug smile on his face, as he watched the two of exchange a number of looks at each other. The two of them could always communicate with each other without even uttering a single word.

 

Introductions were made as the trio ordered their lunch. The hour passed by quickly, as the three of them fell into an easy and light conversation ranging from the politics to froyo. Oliver couldn’t help but smile as Felicity charmed Diggle with her quick wit. Her brilliance had always astounded him, even when he knew her as Pandora. She was always curious about the world and all that it offered. She was always searching, always looking for answers, trying to solve the mysteries that had fallen in her path. It was the same curiosity that drove her to question the power of the present that Zeus had presented her as a wedding gift. It was the same curiosity that quieted his pleas for her to not open the box. It was the same curiosity that brought her to the River Styx. He could not help but feel his breath shorten as his chest constricted when his mind wandered to the memories of her death.

 

“I still can’t believe you haven’t asked her out yet, Oliver,” said Diggle, after Felicity had left to go to the bathroom.

 

“I’ve asked her out,” scoffed Oliver, his fingers once again rubbing against each other, a clear tell of his nervous nature.

 

“Really? You’ve asked her out? On a date? On an actual date?”

 

“Well, it was implied,” Oliver answered quietly, purposely avoiding eye contact with Digg.

 

“You need to ask her out on an actual date, Oliver.”

 

“What are you, my mother? Stop pressuring me, Digg!”

 

“I am not pressuring you, Oliver. I’m telling you to man up and ask the woman that you love on a date. An actual date! Oliver, you have loved her for centuries. You love the woman that she is today. I can see it. Anyone with eyes can see it. You love her. So ask her out. I don’t think she’ll say no, if that helps.”

 

If Oliver didn’t think he could feel as nervous as he did when he entered the restaurant for lunch, but he was wrong, very wrong. His stomach was in knots as Diggle and Felicity said goodbye to one another, vowing to meet again for lunch when they both had the time.

 

“I’ll see you later, Oliver. I’ve got some people to meet. People who will be very interested in how your endeavours go,” said Diggle, a roguish grin appearing on his face.

 

Oliver of course knew who these people that Diggle was referring to. Diggle was going to spill everything to Athena, Hermes, and Nike. Athena had always been too interested in his love life ever since they were children. She was probably that urged Diggle to stay and go with him to lunch with Felicity now that he had thought about it.

 

“I bet they will be, Digg. I see you later. If you hear anything, don’t hesitate to call,” responded Oliver, his message clear as day to Diggle.

 

“Don’t worry, Oliver. I’ll let you know if something comes up. You just do what you have to do,” Diggle said reassuringly.

 

Oliver watched as his friend, the God of the Sea, and one of the most important people in his life walk out the door of Big Belly Burger like he was just an ordinary person.

 

“I’ll walk you back to your office, Felicity.”

 

“Always a gentleman, huh,” questioned Felicity, as they headed out the door.

 

“What can I say? I was raised to have the perfect manners,” Oliver replied jokingly, knowing all too well the manners that his mother had ingrained in him since he was a child.

 

“Digg seemed really nice. I’m glad that I got to meet him.”

 

“He was really, _really_ , glad to meet you too,” Oliver said smiling. “I’m sorry that we didn’t get to talk about the projects that you were working on. Diggle is kind of like a tidal wave, he likes to take over a situation when he sees fit. ”

 

“It’s okay, Oliver. It was a nice to take a break from work.  I’m glad that I got to meet one of your friends. I can see how close the two of you are, it’s quite lovely actually.”

 

The butterflies in his stomach turned into raging monsters the closer they got to Felicity’s office. Oliver knew it was now or never. He had to ask her out on a date, a real date, an actual date, and he had to do it now. He took a deep breath and hoped she would say yes.

 

“Felicity, would you like to go out to dinner with me,” Oliver asked, his throat tightening as the last word left his mouth.

 

Felicity chuckled a little before answering. “Of course, Oliver, we can schedule in a dinner or maybe a lunch to discuss what we missed at lunch today. But I’m sure that you’ll want to hang out with Diggle since he’s in town. We’ll schedule something after he leaves,” Felicity replied quickly, continuing to walk towards her office.

 

“I think you misunderstood me, Felicity. I meant would you like to have dinner with me,” responded Oliver quietly but clearly, steps behind her, grounded to the cement sidewalk, staring at her as she turned around to face him.

 

Felicity’s browns furrowed in confusion before she started speaking. “I don’t want to read too much into this, Oliver. But are you asking me out on a date? A real date? An actual date? A date, date?”  

 

“Yes,” he answered nervously. “Yes. Yes. Yes, I am,” he said, gaining more confidence with each yes, drawing in a deep breath before asking her once again. “Would you like to have dinner with me, Felicity?”

 

“Yes,” responded Felicity, almost automatically, giving Oliver a smile that he could only describe as the most breathtaking smile he had ever witnessed.

 

“Okay. Okay,” Oliver said gleefully, smiling, unable to contain the happiness and relief that he felt because she said yes. “I will come pick you up tomorrow at 7 then.”

 

Oliver felt effervescent as he walked away from Felicity’s office building. He didn’t think that he had ever felt this elated before. She said yes. She said yes to an actual date with him, and he couldn’t be happier. He felt like shouting so that the whole world could know that Felicity Smoak, this woman who he had fallen in love with once again, actually agreed to go on a date with him. He felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest with happiness as he walked towards his motorcycle. His mind working overdrive to plan the perfect first date for the two to them. And for a moment the worry that he felt since Poseidon appeared in his penthouse quieted.

 

**…**

 

The sun was just beginning to set as Oliver returned home. The high from the happiness he’d been feeling since Felicity said yes had not diminished but grew with every arrangement he made for their first date together.

 

In his haze of happiness and love, Oliver overlooked the dark shadows the manifested itself in every corner of the penthouse, waiting patiently for his arrival.

 

The living room was doused in a sweltering heat that could only be described as unearthly, misting his skin almost instantly in sweat.

 

“Hello, Hephaestus,” spoke an eerily menacing voice, stopping Oliver in his tracks. “It’s good to see you, again. I must say, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this happy before. The earthly realm seems to have given you a breath of well needed fresh air.”

 

“Hades,” responded Oliver, fear and anger lacing his voice.

 

“Come now, dear boy. You could give your uncle a better reception than that. A little enthusiasm goes a long way.”

 

Oliver stood as still as a statue as the shadows spread across his living room reconfigured into a solid body seated in one of his wingback chairs by the fireplace. Hades had left the safety and comfort of the Underworld to come see him. And that was never a good thing.

 

“What do you want, Hades?” Oliver spat out.

 

“There are many things that I want, Hephaestus. But the reason I am here is because of what I want for you. What I have always wanted for you, Hephaestus. And that is happiness. I am here for your happiness. It is all I have ever wanted for you, ever since you were a little boy,” Hades responded, as tenderly the God of the Underworld could. “And I see that you have found it here on Earth. You have found her haven’t you, Hephaestus? You have found your happiness? Your Felicity. You found the keeper of your heart, the one that makes living a life as long as ours worth it.”

 

Oliver entire body tensed as he listened to Hades speak about Felicity. Fear and aggression began settling into his bones and muscles, as his body prepared for the fight he knew would ensue.

 

“I wonder? What you would be willing to do to keep your beloved happy? What would you be willing to do in order to keep her safe? What would you be willing to do in order to keep her alive this time, Hephaestus?” Menace undercutting every one of Hade’s words.

 

“What do you want, Hades?” Oliver pointedly asked, staring down the God of the Underworld.

 

“A war is coming, my dear boy. And you must decide which side of this war you will fight on,” Hades spoke, as he removed himself for the chair and moved towards Oliver. “You can choose to stand with your father, a man who in all honestly has almost no right to call himself your father after all he has done to you. Or you can choose to stand with me. Join me, Hephaestus, and see what I can offer you.”

 

“Why would I betray my father, Hades and join you on your hapless crusade against the gods of Olympus.”

 

Hades laughed darkly, in Oliver’s face as he moved even closer towards him, like a predator after his prey.

 

“Did you forget, Hephaestus? Did you forget all the pain, the agony, the feeling of having your heart ripped from you? Did you forget how you begged Zeus to save her after she opened the box? Did you forget what he said? How he dismissed you? He dismissed your feelings, your love, for Pandora as trivial and sent her to me anyway,” Hades voice boomed across the open expanse of the penthouse, rattling the windows ever so slightly. “You begged Zeus. You got on your knees in front of every Olympian and begged! You begged your own father to save the woman you loved most and he said no. He said no, Hephaestus, and sent her to me. He could have so easily have said yes and saved her. He could have saved the one piece of happiness that he was ever apart of for you. But Zeus was selfish. He wanted Prometheus to pay for his betrayal against him and Pandora paid the ultimate price. Don’t think I don’t know the resentment, the hatred, which festers within you when it comes to your father, Hephaestus. I have been where you are. I have felt what you have felt.”

 

Hades circled around Oliver, viewing the impact of his words on him.

 

“Zeus is neither a benevolent god nor father. Zeus does what he sees fit and uses the people around him to further his aspirations. And you, my dear, dear boy, have been at his mercy since your inception.”

 

Oliver’s breathing can to a near stop as he continued to listen to Hades.

 

“I can help you, Hephaestus. I can help you seek revenge against Zeus for what he did to you and Pandora. I can help you keep her safe and happy, Hephaestus. I can ensure that the two of you will be able to remain together for the rest of eternity, if you choose to side with me.”

 

“What if I did choose your side? What would you have me do,” Oliver asked tentatively.

 

A devilish smile appeared on Hades faced before he proceeded to tell Oliver of his plans.

 

“All you would have to do is get Felicity to open the box for me. That is it. That is all that I would require from you. Have her open the box and you get your revenge against your father and get to live happily ever after with your beloved.”

 

“What if I said no?”

 

“Then you would have chosen wrong, dear boy. You would be a bigger fool than I have ever believed. Zeus has been the Father of all the Gods for long enough. It’s time that, that title be relinquished to another. Help me help yourself, Hephaestus. Help me defeat Zeus.”

 

“No,” spoke Oliver assuredly. No matter how much he despised his father for all the wrongs he had committed against him, he knew better than to trust Hades. Hades was not someone who could be trusted, especially with something as precious as Felicity’s safety. Hades was too much like Zeus to not use others in order further his plans and powers if he saw fit.  

 

“No,” Hades asked incredulously. “You would say no to me? No other god can offer you what I can. I am offering you a chance at true happiness, Hephaestus. I am offering you the ability to protect your beloved, to seek revenge against your father for his mistreatment of you. You would be a fool to say no to me, Hephaestus,” screamed Hades.

 

“Then a fool I shall be.”

 

Hades disappeared as quickly as he appeared, leaving Oliver in the embrace of a chilling cold. His lungs finally gave out as new air entered his lungs since his confrontation with Hades began. He had just angered and rebuffed the God of the Underworld and he knew that retribution would surely follow. Hades does not like to be refused, especially not at a time like this.

 

Agitation and fear pounded into his head as he moved towards the expansive wall of glass windows overlooking darkened skyline of Starling City. The appearance of Hades on Earth was deeply unsettling. For Hades to even leave the comfort and safety of the Underworld to visit him on the earthly realm was unheard of. Hades was either over confident or desperate in his plans to usurp Zeus’s throne, and neither of those conditions settled the unease that he felt. Danger was lurking around every corner and he had no way to control the situation.

 

He felt helpless.

 

He hated feeling helpless.

 

Time, he needed more time, time to understand the breadth of the situation, to get control of it and plan a counterattack if need be. He needed time to warn his father of his uncle’s plan. He need time to prepare for the war, a war he knew inevitable at this point. But more than anything, he wanted more time with her. He wanted more time to get to know her, her every dream, her every desire, her every pet peeve and mannerism. He wanted to see her smile, to hear her laugh and innuendoes, to be able to hold her, to kiss her, every single day for the rest of his immortal life.

 

As he looked out the window, staring at the darkened skies, he couldn’t help but think about how things had gone wrong so quickly.

 

**…**

 

Hades was fuming as he stormed into his room, picking up the first thing he saw and hurling it at one of the walls. His eyes glowed red as the anger continued to burn through him, scorching every fibre of his being.

 

He had truly thought that Hephaestus would side with him, especially after everything he had offered in return. He always knew that Pandora was Hephaestus’s greatest vulnerability. He had known it the moment his knees hit the marble floors of Olympus’s throne room, begging Zeus to save Pandora. No one could turn a weakness into a weapon like he could, and now he would have to in order to ensure that his objectives would proceed as planned.

 

His anger dissipated, as he settled into his chair awaiting the arrival of his guest. He had always known that redundancy was key to success, and he was nothing if not successful. While his original plan had failed, he had other ways to ensure that Felicity would open the box willingly and of her own free will.

 

“Mr. Merlyn,” said his assistant over the intercom, “Mr. Palmer is here to see you. I’m sending him in now.”

 

“Thank you, Tiffany,” answered Hades, as Ray Palmer walked through his office door. “It’s a pleasure, Mr. Palmer. I’m glad you could make it to meet me on such short notice.”

 

“It’s an honour, Mr. Merlyn. But I have to ask, why am I here?”

 

“You’re here because I’m in need of some help,” answered Merlyn, pulling out a laptop from his under his desk and pushing it towards Palmer. “This laptop is encrypted with a 955 bit encryption level, one that the world has never seen before. I would like you, and only you, to break it.”

 

Palmer went bugged-eyed and scoffed in Merlyn in disbelief. “This level of encryption takes a massive amount of resources and computer power to break. It took 21 supercomputers an entire team of the world’s best computer scientists to break a 932 bit encryption. I don’t think I can do this, Mr. Merlyn.”

 

“I’ve seen your resume, Mr. Palmer. I’m thoroughly impressed by the work that you have done, especially the classified files that you worked on for the American government. I believe that you have all the ability to crack this. I’ll give you a few weeks to work on it and you can report back to me. But I must implore to you the significance of this project and the work that has gone into its creation, Mr. Palmer. This must not fall into the wrong hands.”

 

“I understand, Mr. Merlyn,” said Palmer nervously. “I will do my best.”

 

“Good.” spoke Merlyn, shaking hands in the process and walking him to his door. “I look forward to hearing from you soon.”

 

A smirk appeared on Merlyn’s face as he heard he click of the closing door.

 

“You can reveal yourself,” declared Merlyn, turning towards the darkened corner of his office. “The darkness really does not suit you, Aphrodite.”

 

“But it looks so well on you, Hades,” Aphrodite sneered, stepping out of the darkness and into the centre of the office.

 

“I would keep your tongue in check, Aphrodite,” spat Hades, stalking towards her. “You are here because you are useful to me. You have the ability to control one of the most primal instincts within human beings, and that is useful in this circumstance. The fact that you have the God of War tied around your little finger helps too. But make no mistake, Aphrodite, I am the one who dictates the orders here. You chose to join my side in this war, willingly I might add. You best remember that.” Hades circled around her before sitting down at his desk. “I wonder what Zeus would do to you if he were to find out that you, the Goddess of Love and his own daughter-in-law, had become a spy and was working against him. Oh, the things he would do to you, Aphrodite,” Merlyn snickered, watching in delight the fear grow in her eyes.  

 

“I’ve done what you’ve asked, Hades. I’ve imbued Palmer with the idea that he has fallen in love with Felicity Smoak and that she is the only person he can trust. Why exactly did you ask that of me,” questioned Aphrodite, a flash of anger and another emotion crossing her face as she spoke Felicity’s name.

 

“Now, now, Aphrodite, green really isn’t your best colour.”

 

“I’m not jealous, Hades,” Aphrodite spat venomously. “I am just curious as to why you had me do what I did.”

 

“Really,” chuckled Merlyn, taunting her. “You’re not jealous of the one woman that accomplished the one thing that you could never do? She captured the heart of the one person you never could. You’re not even just a tiny bit jealous of Felicity Smoak? Well colour me clearly surprised, dear. I would be terribly jealous of the mortal that captured the heart of my spouse without even trying to. And she did so without any powers as well. She quite something isn’t she?”

 

“Spit it out, Hades. And stop trying to play on my feelings and emotions,” hissed Aphrodite, still clearly angered by the comments that Hades had made early about her feelings towards a certain blonde IT genius.

 

“Alright, then, I just handed Mr. Palmer the box.”  

 

“The box? As in _the box_?” Aphrodite’s eyes widening at Hades news.

 

“Yes. And I would stop with your line of questioning, dear. Now run along, Aphrodite. I’ll be seeing you soon enough,” spoke Hades, waving his fingers at Aphrodite’s disappearing form. Hades finally felt a bit of comfort as he settled into his chair, reveling in the knowledge that his plans were finally coming together after so long.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I love hearing what you have to say, good or bad, so comment below.


	4. The Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! 
> 
> I apologize that it has taken me this long to post a new chapter but here it's finally here. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. :)

****

* * *

 

 

_He couldn’t tear his eyes away from her as he watched her wander about his home. He noted every stride of her gait, every swing of her arms, and every tilt of her head. His heart still pounded beneath his chest, his skin was still aflame from being in such close proximity to her, his eyes completely entranced by the woman that stood before him. He could not stop looking at her. He had not been able to since the moment he first looked into her eyes in the meadow. And so he followed her around his home, trailing after her like the moon after the sun, always following but never converging. His home would be her home until Zeus saw fit to remove her from it for whatever he had planned._

 

 

_His chest tightened at such a thought._

 

_Her inquisitive nature drew her to every piece of art adorning his walls, every instrument strewn about the many rooms, every item and every room eliciting new and different question from her mind. He could not help but answer every one of them. He could not deny her the answers she desired. He did not think he could ever deny her anything is she asked of him._

 

_The smile on his face had yet to disappear as he continued after her. He could not recall the last time he had smiled as much as he had in the last few hours since they had met. She brought out a side of him that he could scarcely remember. A side that he had longed buried beneath all the anger and resentment he that had become central to his life for so long. She brought an entirely different outlook to his purview. Her eyes were filled with acceptance, care, joy, hope, honesty and respect. Things he had not been graced with in a very long time. He could not help but smile every time he was near her._

 

_“I never knew that one of the gods of Olympus lived in a cave,” he heard Pandora say, as she wandered into his training room filled with different shields, swords and other weapons._

 

_“My home is not a cave,” answered Hephaestus, slightly indignant to her comment about his home._

 

_“Hephaestus, your home in carved into a side of a mountain. It receives very little natural light. It is damp. And I see no flowers or other sources of vegetation. By definition your home is a cave,” she said. “Hephaestus’s cave,” Pandora announced proudly, her voice full of mirth as a smirk grew upon her face, as she continued around the room._

 

_“I do not call it that,” Hephaestus responded, annoyance and humour colouring his voice._

 

_“Whatever you say, Hephaestus,” she replied. “But I’m still going to call it a cave,” she muttered as she turned away from him._

 

_He could not help but huff and smirk as he heard her utterance of rebellion. Mortals rarely rebelled against the gods, even in such inconspicuous ways. It was refreshing to see a mortal who was unafraid of their control and power._

 

_“What is that,” Pandora asked, pointing at a tall metal contraption sitting at the end of the room._

 

_“That is called a salmon ladder. It is used for physical exercise,” Hephaestus answered._

 

_“You use it for physical exercise,” Pandora asked, confusion colouring her face. “How does one use it for physical exercise? Does one crawl up its side? Does one swing on the bar?” she blurted out quickly, turning towards him. “May I see a demonstration?”_

 

_“A demonstration,” Hephaestus responded hesitantly, as he turned his back to her. He usually performed on the salmon ladder tunic-less, a sight that he did not wish to thrust upon her eyes. His entire body was covered in many scars, large and small. Scars that he himself did not like to see. All of them reminder of memories that he wished his mind could forget but his body would not allow._

 

_“Yes, Hephaestus,” she laughed, “a demonstration. Show me how you use it for physical exercise.”_

 

_“Maybe another time, Pandora. Are you not hungry? Thirsty,” he asked, studiously deflecting her request._

 

_“Well now that you have reminded me, I do feel slightly peckish.”_

 

_“Come. I will get you something to eat and drink,” he said, turning down another hallway, gesturing her to follow him. “I believe there is a bottle of Dionysus’s best wine from his personal collection rolling about here somewhere.”_

 

_“How does one attain one of Dionysus’s best bottles of wine,” Pandora asked inquisitively. Dionysus kept his personal collection under heavy lock and key, hidden away somewhere on Earth. No god or goddess, not even Zeus himself, had ever received a bottle from his collection._

 

_“Inconspicuously of course,” he said, winking at her in response. The wink elicited a giggle from her that warmed his being more than any hearth ever had._

 

_“Where are you taking me,” he heard Pandora ask as they walked into another room before exiting through a grand set of iron wrought doors._

 

_He heard her stop in her tracks as she saw what was hidden behind the doors. Pandora was wrong when she said that his home was a cave since it had no flower or vegetation. Hidden behind the doors was a magnificent garden filled with stones floors, many different flowers and plants, and a babbling brook._

 

_He turned around and saw the utter awe in her wide eyes, a look he hoped to see often as he guided her around the garden._

 

_“What is this place, Hephaestus,” Pandora enquired, still completely awed by her surroundings._

 

_“You could call it my sanctuary. It’s completely hidden from the world, from all the gods. Even Zeus himself cannot see this space. It’s where I come when I need to get away from the world.”_

 

_“It’s absolutely breathtaking,” Pandora whispered, as she looked at him, sheer amazement still shining in her eyes. “Thank you for sharing it with me.”_

 

_He could feel the burning of her eyes on him as he continued to look at everything in the garden but her as they wandered around. His heart began pounding erratically beneath his chest once again. His stomach felt like it had knotted itself. And his skin felt like lightening bolts ran through every nerve._

 

_“You must be hungry,” stuttered Hephaestus, sparing a quick glance at her direction, guiding her towards a bench in the middle of the garden. With a sweep of his hand a table appeared in front of them filled with bountiful amounts fruits of different size and colour, breads and meats. “I hope there is something to your liking here,” he asked nervously, gesturing wildly at the table, glancing at her again, trying desperately to calm his nerves._

 

_“This will more than do, Hephaestus. Thank you,” she answered, smiling brightly at him._

 

_They sat for hours in the garden, talking about everything and nothing. Consuming every droplet from Dionysus’s pilfered bottle of wine and every morsel of food on the table. He could scarcely believe the amount of laughter that spilled form his mouth or the constant smile that adorned his face. He could not describe a period of time in his life that he enjoyed as much as the few short hours that he had spent with her._

 

_He loved the way she laughed, from the sparkle that would appear in her eyes, to the life of her lips, to the bloom of pink in her cheeks. The sound of her laughter brought him great joy that he could scarcely describe. His mind, body, and soul were lit alight from being in her company._

 

_He loved hearing her laugh. Committing every note, every movement of her face and her body to memory._

 

_Her constant bombardment of questions did little to diffuse the blissful mood that surrounded them. He happily answered each and every one of them, and in return learning more and more about the woman in front of him. She may have been creation through the divine power of the gods but she was definitely her own being beneath all those gifts that they had bestowed on her._

 

_He could barely grasp, barely describe the feelings that were streaming through his body. He felt his entire body relax in a way it had not in years. He had never felt more himself, more at ease, than in those precious hours with her._

 

_He didn’t want the night to end as they walked side by side down towards the hall of bedchambers. Tomorrow was a new day and one day closer to whatever Zeus had in store for her._

 

_“This will be your room for the remainder of your stay here with me,” Hephaestus announced, as they stopped in front of a pair of beautiful and exquisite handcrafted doors, a small smile gracing his face._

 

_“Thank you, Hephaestus,” Pandora responded, her voice quite and lovely._

 

_“Good night, Pandora.”_

 

_“Good night, Hephaestus."_

 

_Hephaestus was struck with a blinding realization as he entered his chambers, immobilizing him. Everything that he had felt, the fluctuation between momentous happiness to stomach churning anxiety, the constant desire to gaze upon her face, and the arresting need to make her laugh, culminated into his startling epiphany._

 

_He was falling in love with Pandora._

 

**…**

 

Hades stared at Ray Palmer through the giant monitors that surrounded his throne, as the mortal readjusted his tie in the mirror. Every mirror, every camera lens, and every reflective surface was now a window to the earthly plane, allowing him access to every single entity on the planet. He could not help but laugh and applaud the convenience that modernity had brought to his ability to infiltrate the lives of every mortal on the earthly plane.

 

He had kept a careful eye on Palmer’s every movement since he had relinquished possession of the box to him. That had been days ago. Palmer had yet to make contact with Felicity Smoak and engage her in decrypting the laptop and thus opening the box. He was becoming impatient due to all the waiting and watching that he had to suffer through. How anyone could believe that Ray Palmer lived an adventurous life did not watch the man 24 hours a day. Dull was the nicest word he could think of to describe Ray Palmer. He did not think that gods could have actual headaches but watching the life of Palmer was unquestionably putting that assumption to the test. He could sincerely understand how Pandora had fallen in love with Hephaestus while married to Epimetheus. He could have fallen in love with one of the Gorgons if he had to remain married to someone of the likes of Epimetheus.

 

Hades caught glimpses of Palmer throughout his day, going to the office, getting lunch, answering emails, tinkering with his gadgets, constantly staring at pictures of Felicity, listening to her voicemail message countless of times and pinging her cellphone’s GPS location. He was becoming increasingly uninterested and disturbed by the minute. Even he had never been this obsessive over one person, not even Persephone. He had to remember to congratulate Aphrodite later on creating such a powerful love spell.

 

He knew that he could not interfere with Palmer’s plans to meet with Felicity more than he already had. The meeting had to be of Palmer’s own agency. He could not force Palmer to meet with Felicity. The box would sense the twisting of Palmer and thus Felicity’s free will and would thus fail to open. Love, however, was the one thing that the box was unable to sense and thus the perfect avenue to present the box to Felicity. It was Pandora’s insatiable curiosity that finally brought her to open the box and if history was to repeat itself then he had to let Felicity’s curiosity bring about the decryption of the laptop.

 

It was not until the end of Palmer’s workday that his interests were finally piqued. Palmer retrieved the encrypted laptop from his vault, placing it carefully into a bag. Hades watched as Palmer arrived at Felicity’s office and asked to meet with her.

 

Hades could barley supress the grin the bloomed on his face. He could already feel his powers strengthening. He watched intently through the decorative mirror in Felicity’s office as Palmer entered the room.

 

“Ray,” greeted Felicity, as she watched him enter the door. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

 

“I have a little favour to ask of you,” Ray answered, drawing the laptop out of his bag and placing it on her desk before rushing to her side and enveloping her a hug.

 

“Oh,” Felicity said, clearly surprised by Ray’s hug and awkwardly patted him on the back. “It’s good to see you too, Ray.” 

 

Hades could not help but smirk at Felicity’s reception to Ray. Clearly Ray’s attraction to Felicity was not reciprocated.

 

“I was wondering if you could hack into this laptop for me,” asked Ray abruptly, before stepping away from her.  

 

“Why do you need me to hack into it? You’re more than capable of hacking into laptops, Ray. Why can’t you do it?”

 

“I would if I could,” Palmer replied sheepishly.

 

“Is Ray Palmer finally admitting that I’m better than him at hacking,” asked a gloating Felicity.

 

“Yes,” huffed Ray, “I can admit that you are better hacker than I am. Could you please help me, Ms. Smoak?”

 

Felicity chuckled before giving Ray an answer. “Exactly how high is the bit-encryption that not even you can decrypt it?” Grabbing the laptop off the table and turning it towards her.

 

“It’s a 955-bit encryption.”

 

“I’m sorry,” chortled an astounded Felicity, “I must have heard you wrong. I thought you said that the laptop had a 955-bit encryption level. There is no way that a laptop can have that high of an encryption level.”

 

“You didn’t hear me wrong, Felicity. The laptop has a 955-bit encryption. The laptop contains a prototype encryption system designed by Merlyn Global. Malcolm Merlyn handed that laptop to me himself, and asked if I could try and decrypt it.”

 

“And you couldn’t so you brought it to me. You know it took a whole team of Japanese hackers and 21 supercomputers to break a 932-bit encryption. How do you expect me to break a 955-bit encryption by myself?”

 

“You’re a genius. I’ve never seen you take on an encryption that you can’t crack.”

 

“You know flattery isn’t going to get you anywhere, Ray,” Felicity replied flatty.

 

“Well then, think of it as a mystery that has yet to be solved. I know how you like solving mysteries. And I’ll also give you full credit for the hack when I report back to Merlyn.”

 

Hades carefully observed Felicity as she contemplated whether to accept Palmer’s favour, watching as her mind debated the pros and cons of the situation. He needed her to agree, and he needed her to agree willingly. There was no other way. The box was the lynchpin to his plan in overtaking Olympus and finally ridding himself of Zeus’s power and influence. The gods’ powers had diminished as the centuries went on; their powers and strengths were not what it once was. If the box were to be open, if the evils trapped within it were to be released there would be no halting its spread this time. The earth would be ravaged and the Olympians could do nothing stop it. His powers would grow exponentially as the world suffered. He had waited long enough, been subjected to enough. Zeus’s time was drawing near and he needed Felicity Smoak to open the box.

 

“I’ll help you, Ray. I’ll help you decrypt the laptop. But you owe me. Big time! And I expect compensation for this too! I’m not going to crack this thing for nothing.”

 

“I’ll agree to whatever terms that you want,” Palmer replied quickly, nodding happily.

 

“I’ll contact you as soon as I’ve cracked it,” Felicity responded, effectively dismissing him as she turned on the laptop. “Do you need something else, Ray,” Felicity questioned, as Palmer continue to sit in his seat, not making an attempts to move and leave her office.

 

“I was wondering if you would accompany me to dinner tonight?”

 

“I’m sorry, Ray. I can’t. I actually have something planned tonight.”

 

Hades noted that Ray looked like a puppy that had been kicked when Felicity responded.

 

“Oh, hot date?”

 

“Yes, actually,” Felicity replied, slightly blushing. “I’m having dinner with Oliver Queen tonight. It’s our first date. Well its our official first date. We’ve kind of gone on a couple of dates before, but they weren’t labeled dates but they weren’t not dates. So yes, I have a date tonight,” Felicity babbled. “A date that I actually have to start getting ready for now!” A look of horror gracing her faced as she looked at the time. “Oh my god, I can’t be 6:45 already! I’m sorry, Ray, but I have to go! I’ll contact you as soon as I know something okay? Okay.”

 

Hades fists curled as he watched as Felicity quickly gathered her things and rushed out the door, leaving a sad and disappointed Palmer in her wake. He had hoped that Hephaestus would not become a problem in his plans but it seemed that would not be the case.

 

**…**

 

“Go with the blue one, Hephaestus!”

 

“I don’t need your advice on how to dress, Athena,” sounded a thoroughly exasperated Oliver, as he readjusted his tie for the 20th time.

 

“I think you do, Hephaestus,” sounded a non-contrite Athena. “Why else would you have asked me to come down from Olympus to help you get ready for your date with Felicity.”

 

“I didn’t ask, Athena,” Oliver said, glaring at her. “You just showed up. Unannounced, may I say.”

 

“You tried to wear a green coloured suit with a red tie out the door and go on a date with a woman that you’ve been in love with for centuries. You need my help, big brother.”

 

“First of all, I looked good in that green suit. And I was going to change the tie,” Oliver spat out, before turning back to the mirror in frustration.

 

“First of all, no one looks good in paisley green. No one,” shouted Athena. “It’s okay to be nervous, Hephaestus,” Athena said in a lower octave.

 

“I’m not nervous,” whispered Oliver.

 

“Yes, you are. And that’s okay. I would be nervous too if I were in your situation. But I know how you feel about Felicity,” uttered Athena, as she got up from her perch on the couch. “I know how much you love her. Feeling nervous is good. It means that you want this to succeed. And it will succeed. Nothing is going to happen this time, Hephaestus,” Athena spoke as she looked into her brother’s eyes, smoothing down the lapels of his suit, trying to calm him down. “I won’t allow it! I finally have my big brother back and I’m not going to let some family feud between our Father and Uncle, destroy that. We will keep her safe.”

 

Oliver allowed himself to be hugged by Athena, as she continued to talk to him about why he had such a horrid fashion sense.

 

“So you’re going to stick with the grey suit that you are currently wearing, and that I picked out. And you’re going to go with the blue tie, not the red one.”

 

“Athena,” Oliver sighed, the fight still remaining in his voice.

 

“No buts, Hephaestus. This isn’t the 5th century. This is the 21st century and you have to dress like it’s the 21st century. Wear the suit and put on the blue tie,” ordered Athena.

 

“One cannot say no to the advice given by the Goddess of Wisdom can they,” Oliver asked, smiling.

 

“No. They would be an idiot if they were to do so,” Athena responded, smiling. “And you, my big brother, are not an idiot. You should get going, big brother. Wouldn’t want to be late for a date with the woman who has literally been the source of your dreams for centuries.”

 

“Crap,” shouted Oliver, before rushing into his room to grab the blue tie and rushing around the door.

 

“Don’t worry, big brother,” spoke Athena to an empty room. “We’re not going to let anything happen to Felicity, or to you.”

 

**…**

 

Oliver couldn’t believe his eyes as spotted Felicity already seated at the center table. She was absolutely breathtaking in her red dress with her hair down in waves and sans glasses. His breathing stopped in his chest as their eyes met. Her smile ignited his own. He didn’t think he had ever seen a woman more beautiful and magnificent than her. He could feel the love that he felt for her spread like wildfire through his body. It was moments like this one that made up for all the pain, all the suffering, all the torment that he had gone through worth it.

 

Seconds past before he could regain control over his body, directing himself towards their table at the center of the room.

 

“Hi,” Oliver whispered into her ear, as they greeted each other with a hug.

 

“Hi,” Felicity whispered back.

 

“Nervous,” Felicity asked, sitting back down.

 

“Yeah,” Oliver replied, grinning from ear to ear as he took his seat.

 

“Line forms behind me,” Felicity chuckled.

 

“Am I being crazy? I mean, what do we have to be nervous about,” Oliver timidly asked.

 

“Well, we’ve already exhausted every topic one would discuss on a first date, and a second date, and a third date, and every date actually,” Felicity nervously babbled. “And we’ve already technically gone on a first date, and a second date, and a third date...”

 

Oliver couldn’t help but chuckle quietly and break out in an even wider grin as he listened to Felicity babble. Some things never changed and for that he was absolutely grateful. Her curiosity and quick mind were traits that he was instantaneously attracted to and mystified by. She was an anomaly. He never expected her. He never expected to fall in the love the first time around. He never believed that he would have another chance to be with her after watching her die in his arms. But her she was. Here they were, together again, going on a date. He couldn’t believe his eyes. He couldn’t believe she was sitting in front of him, babbling about how they had nothing to talking about on their first official date.

 

“Felicity,” Oliver says, unable to wipe the smile off his face as he watched her cheeks flush from embarrassment. “I think we have much more to discuss that can fill countless of other dates.”

 

“Countless of dates, huh? So you’re expecting more dates after this one,” Felicity teased.

 

“I hope so,” Oliver replied, smiling at her, watching the flush in cheeks bloom even more as she tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.

 

“So what looks good,” asked Felicity, as she flashed Oliver another smile, before picking up the menu in front of her.

 

They spent the entire night talking to each other about everything else they hadn’t had a chance to speak to each other about before. Oliver learnt why Felicity had decided to start her own company rather than join an existing firm. Felicity in return learned more about Thea, Oliver’s younger sister and the antics that the two of them got into as children. Every course was devoured with quickly, each with its own glass of wine, bringing more laughs to their ongoing conversation.

 

Dessert was an absolute delight as Oliver watched Felicity’s face light up in amusement and joy as she saw her chocolate dessert come to life in front of her. They both ordered the restaurant’s signature chocolate glory. The dessert consisted of a golden sphere of chocolate, where by dark chocolate sauce was poured from above, melting it and revealing a chocolate and almond cake inside. Oliver couldn’t help but reach across the table and wipe some chocolate sauce that had escaped Felicity’s lips, causing her blush once more, as they ate their dessert.

 

They were the last two to depart the restaurant when all was said and eaten.

 

“So do I get a second date,” asked Oliver nervously, as he helped Felicity put on her coat, walking her towards the exit.

 

“That remains to be seen, Mr. Queen,” replied a beaming Felicity. “I still haven’t gotten a goodnight kiss yet.”

 

Oliver’s eyes widen in surprise as he heard those words uttered from Felicity’s lips.

 

“That’s all it takes to get a second date with Felicity Smoak,” asked Oliver, as he moved closer to her, licking his lips, as he stroked her arms.

 

“Well it depends on how good the kiss is,” Felicity replied, moving closer towards Oliver, biting her bottom lip.

 

Oliver didn’t know who moved first. All he knew was that he felt every one of his senses explode the moment his lips met hers. The kiss started out gentle and tentative. His hands coming to cup either sides of her face, drawing her closer into him. But soon the kiss became more heated as her arms moved around his neck, pulling him towards her. He could feel her change in height as she got up on her tippy toes to deepen the kiss between the two of them. They both broke away at the same moment, before things got ever more heated between them.

 

“You definitely get a second date, Mr. Queen,” Felicity responded breathlessly and somewhat dazed.

 

Oliver couldn’t help but chuckle as he asked, “how does tomorrow night sound? I’ll pick you up from your apartment.”

 

“I can make myself available tomorrow night,” responded a still slightly stunned Felicity.

 

Oliver, ever the gentleman, walked Felicity to her car before bidding her a goodnight.

 

He couldn’t wipe the shit-eating grin off his as he watched her drive away as he stood still in the parking lot.

 

“Hephaestus,” sounded a voice from behind him.

 

“Aphrodite,” Oliver responded, turning, confusion colouring his voice and face as he gazed upon his wife.

 

**…**

 

Felicity couldn’t sleep as she lay in her bed, staring at her ceiling.

 

Her mind was still abuzz, her lips still tingled, and her cheeks were still flushed from his touch, and it was all because of one single kiss.

 

She had so many different emotions running through her body as she thought of the kiss.

 

In the weeks since she had met Oliver Queen in her favourite coffee shop, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him. I mean how could she. The man literally looked like a Greek god. He was kind, and funny, and smart, and chivalrous. He was literally every woman’s dream. And he seemed genuinely interested in her! Caitlin and Iris kept making sly comments and singing K-I-S-S-I-N-G under their breaths every time he would come to the office and bring her lunch, or coffee or ask her out to dinner. But all those meetings had been fairly platonic, all conducted under the guise of a work meeting. Tonight was definitely not platonic and everything she thought it would be and more.

 

She couldn’t believe she just had dinner with one of the world’s most renowned philanthropists and billionaires, and practically made out with him in one of Starling City’s finest Italian restaurants.  

 

She tried to calm her mind and body, but nothing was helping. All she could think about was that kiss and how it felt so right to have her body pressed against his, how right it felt to kiss him.

 

She had never felt this way about one person before, ever!

 

Felicity finally had to admit to herself, after weeks of denying it to herself and her best friends that she was falling in love with Oliver Queen. And they had only been out to one official date.

 

She couldn’t believe it. She really couldn’t believe it. But it was true. And tomorrow night was going to be their second date.

 

There was no way she was going to be able to fall asleep tonight.

 

Felicity quickly got up and got dressed before heading out of her apartment. Her office was completely darkened except for the humming of all the different computers and servers littering the space. Felicity pulled the laptop Ray had given her earlier that day from her desk, before booting up all of her own computers. She quickly synced up the laptop in question to the company’s servers, loading the highest encryption code-breaking program they had. If she was not sleeping tonight at least she would try to get some work done.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I love hearing what you have to say, good or bad, so comment away.


	5. The Truth, Please

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it has taken me this long to post a new chapter. I can promise you that it was not intentional. I've been working on this chapter since I posted the last chapter of my other fic "Promises Made, Promises Kept". 
> 
> Two main things contributed to the delay of me writing and posting this chapter, a massive case of writer's block ( which was not helped but a not very helpful muse that I fed countless bags of Skittles to) and a case of self-doubt when it came to my writing. While I'm not a perfectionist, I've always been critical of my own work, especially when it comes to my writing. 
> 
> So here is the new chapter, I hope you like it.

 

* * *

 

_His heart pounded violently beneath his chest, as his chariot raced across the darkening skies. Adrenalin surged through his body, as the rushing of blood filled his ears, and the vice on his chest tightened, the farther he flew away from Olympus._

 

 

_He blatantly ignored Zeus’s thundering commands for him to return as he urged his stallions faster against the obsidian skies._

 

_He did not wish to return to Olympus, ever. He did not care. He did not care about his duties. He did not care about his position. He did not care about the consequences of his actions. All he cared about was reaching her in time._

 

 

_He was still dazed as he tore through the clouds, inching closer and closer to Earth, and ever closer to her._

 

_Everything had stopped in a single moment._

 

_He had been standing in front of Zeus and Hera in the throne room when it happened. His breath drew short, his vision darkened, and his heart lanced with an incinerating pain, causing him to crumple to the floor, and he knew. He knew that his worst fear had come to life. She had opened the box. The box she was instructed to never open. The damned box that Zeus had gifted her on her the day of her wedding to Epimetheus with specific instructions to never disturb._

 

_He remembered struggling against Ares and Hermes as they tried to restrain him under Zeus’s commands to stop him from rescuing Pandora, but not even the God of War and God of Thieves could stop him. None of his brothers and sisters had ever witnessed the full extent of his power and none had expected him to fight them as he had done. His brothers lay strewn across the floors of the hallowed room, as his mother and sisters cowered behind their thrones. One of Zeus’s thunderbolts graced his side as he escaped from the chaos that was Olympians throne room._

 

_He felt no ounce of pain as his blood continued drip from his side, disappearing into the darkened abyss of the sky._

 

_He could see the swirling of darkness begin as he fled down the stairs from the throne room. The cries of suffering and pain from the humans below began to rise through to the heavens. He paid them no mind as his chariot appeared in front of him. All he could think about was Pandora. All he that he cared about was reaching her in time._

 

_He remembered seeing the box so clearly for the first time. Feeling the ungodly power emanating from its inner depths. He sensed the darkness, the destruction, the horrors, the sickness, and the fear that lurked within its golden metal confines. The box was dangerous. The box was deadly. He should have taken it from her instead of believing that her promise to him to never open it could overrule the incessant curiosity that Zeus had imbued her with._

 

_He could not stop. He could not falter. He could not fail. He had promised that he would protect her. He would do everything in his power to keep that promise._

 

_The rumbling of his stallions’ hooves against the skies became brutal, as he urged them faster and faster._

 

_He had to save her. There was no other choice._

 

_All he cared about, all he wanted, all he needed was her._

 

_He could not survive without her. He could scarcely believe of such a life in which she did not exist._

 

_He felt the flickers of anger, betrayal and hate, flame within him. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the reins of his chariot tauter. Zeus had done this. Zeus had caused this. He had created her for this sole purpose, bartered with the Fates for Pandora, just so he could enact an even greater vengeance against Prometheus. He would end Prometheus’s immortal life when this was all over. He would eliminate any and every threat to Pandora’s life after he had saved her from the clutches of death._

 

_He wanted to burn them all to the ground and leave nothing but smoldering ash in his wake._

 

_He leapt from the chariot before it even touched the ground, racing towards her house._

 

_The skies had completely blackened like the night, but no stars could be seen except the beastly blood red sun glowing high in the sky. The winds howled viciously around him, pushing against his body, trying to slow his steps towards her. The Earth was being consumed by whatever had been released from the box. And he did not care. The Earth could burn as long as she was safe, as long as she was alive._

 

_The walls of her house were cracked, crumbling around him as he entered. Every door, every window has been blown from its confines._

 

_He searched room after room, looking for her, calling out her name, hoping that she would respond._

 

_He felt like every part of his body, his soul and his heart was being torn apart the longer that it took to find her._

 

_He needed to find her._

 

_He passed Epimetheus’s bloody and broken body on the ground, as he hastily raced up the stairs, calling out her name even louder. A fleeting moment of joy passed through him, knowing that the Epimetheus was dead. That the man who had kept him from his beloved was gone. He felt no remorse for his brutal demise._

 

_He did not feel the pain radiate through his body as his knees hit the ground when he saw her body on the ground. He did not feel the pain of the shards of the broken pottery pierce his skin as he crawled towards her. The box lay open a few feet from her, completely open, completely inanimate. All of its evils having escaped from its restraints, piercing her body before flowing out into the open world._

 

_“Hephaestus,” she whispered, as blood dripped from her mouth and as tears fell from her eye, her hand weakly lifting towards him._

 

_“Pandora,” he responded, his voice full of disbelief and pain from seeing her alive but in such pain and distress. “Stay with me,” he begged, cradling her face in his hands. “Please stay with me! Please!”_

 

_“He-He-Hephaestus,” she stuttered, her breathing laboured, as her hand came to clutch his forearm, her eyelids fluttering._

 

_“It is going to be alright. You are going to be all right. Just stay with me,” he uttered softly, carefully wiping the tears off her face. “Please stay with me,” he implored, his every emotion colouring those four words, as his forehead came to rest against hers, tears burning his eyes._

 

_“Hephaestus,” her quiet plea drawing his head up, their eyes locking with each other, as she moved her hand to cover his. He could see the love, the light, and the regret that emanated from her blue eyes that would forever engrain themselves in his mind, as her fingers softly stroked his hand._

 

_“I know. I know,” he replied gently, “I love you too. I will always love you, Pandora. You stole my heart the moment we met. Became part of my soul with every word were ever spoke to one another. You became the axis on which my world spins before I could even comprehend it,” he said, as tears fell from his eyes, leaning down to place a gentle kiss upon her lips, their first kiss. “I just need you to stay with me. Just stay with me. Please, Pandora. I beg of you. I cannot lose you.”_

 

_“You will never lose me, Hephaestus. I will be with you always.”_

 

_“Please, Pandora. Just hold on for a little while longer. I can save you. Please let me save you,” he beseeched, his voice breaking. He could not lose her. He had to save her. He promised he would protect her. He promised himself that Zeus’s plan would never harm her. “Please, my love.”_

 

_He could feel the strength leaving her body, as her fingers loosened on his arm._

 

_“No! Pandora! Look at me. Look at me. Stay with me,” he howled, trying to get her to stay with him. He could see the light in hers eyes disappear right in front of his._

 

_“It is all right, Hephaestus. I’m all right,” her voice becoming so soft with every word uttered, her hand caressing his, trying to comfort him. “You are with me. That is all that matters. That is all I ever wanted. I always feel safe and protected when I am in your arms.”_

 

_“Please don’t let go! Please! Please just stay for me,” Hephaestus sobbed, his voice torn by agony and desperation. He did not know what else to do but plead for her to stay with him. He could see the life draining out of her and he did not know how to stop it. He did not know how to save her. He had lived eons before he had met her but those felt like naught compared to the short time he had shared with her. He wanted more time. He wanted lifetimes upon lifetimes to share with her, to be able to hear her laugh, to see her smile, to listen to her many thoughtful opinions. He wanted eternity with her._

 

_“I love you, Hephaestus,” Pandora uttered, using the last of her strength to reach up and stroke his cheek tenderly._

 

_The warmth of her hand against his cheek was the last bit of warmth he felt. Her hand fell limply against the floor moments later._

 

_“Pandora? Pandora? No. No. No,” he howled, pulling her body closer to his. “No,” he sobbed, rocking back and forth with her limp body in his arms. “Please, Pandora. Please! Just breathe. Just breathe, my love,” he begged, moving her golden hair off her face. He sat, waiting desperately, just waiting for just one breath, one more breath, as he held her still body in his arms._

 

_He did not know how long he sat upon the stone floor numb and cold, as the house continued to crumble and shake around him. He took no notice of the outside world being consumed in darkness, disease, and death. That is how Poseidon found him, sat on the ground despondent, clutching Pandora’s lifeless body to his chest, tears no longer flowing, with all the light missing from his eyes._

 

**...**

 

“Aphrodite,” said Oliver, the blatant surprise clear in his voice, as she looked upon her estranged husband.

 

“Hello, Hephaestus,” she responded, trying to imbue her voice with all the false love and care as she could muster up as the Goddess of Love, as she approached a shocked Hephaestus.

 

When Zeus had arrange for her marriage to Hephaestus all those eons ago she had been in utter dismay. Hephaestus was no catch, he was the least desirable and least powerful of all his siblings. Hephaestus could never give her what she truly desired, the power and an exalted position within Olympus that others could. Zeus had told her that a marriage to Hephaestus was the only way to stop the all out war for her hand that would be sure to occur if she were not to wed.

 

She could not refuse Zeus’s reasoning and begrudgingly married Hephaestus. She never fully intended to stay faithful in the marriage, and she never did. But she was not the only one. While Hephaestus had never strayed from their marriage, he was never fully invested in it either. She knew he cared for her. He even tried initially to make their marriage work for Zeus and Hera’s sake, but nothing came from it. Her beauty, her ever-lasting youth, and her powers failed to impress or bring forth any true feelings from Hephaestus. He was immune to her powers. She could not make him fall in love with her like she had with every mortal and male God that had come within her sphere.

 

It was a first. And it would be the last.

 

When she could not make him fall in love with her, she did everything in her power to ensure that he never fell in love with anyone. She left her marriage, a sham of marriage, in dismay as she perused relationships with Adonis, Ares and other gods and mortals. Relationships that proved fruitful, providing her with the power, the position and a legacy that Hephaestus had not been able to give her.

 

The appearance of Pandora and her effect on Hephaestus was something she had not seen coming. She sensed the loved that flowed between the two of them, a love that she could only describe as one of the purest and truest loves she had ever witnessed. She felt betrayed by Hephaestus and did everything within her power to keep the two of them apart. And for a time she believed she succeeded, but it was all for naught. She could not quash the love that was shared by Pandora and Hephaestus, and she was incensed by her failure.

 

She had already failed once to destroy the love that Hephaestus and Pandora shared, she would do everything within her power to ensure that she never failed again.

 

“What are you doing here, Aphrodite,” asked Oliver, his face still perplexed by her sudden appearance.

 

“I needed to see you, Hephaestus,” Aphrodite replied, lacing her voice with false sense of fear and a look of worry on her face. “I need your help. It’s Ares. Something is wrong, Hephaestus. I can feel it. He’s been acting out of character. He’s been evasive and secretive. He’ll be gone for days without any contact with any of us. I’ve tried following him but nothing has come from it.”

 

“What you’ve described sounds exactly like Ares to me, Aphrodite,” Oliver spoke. “He is the God of War. It is his job to be evasive and secretive. I do not see why it is a cause for concern or why it warrants your intrusion into my life.”

 

“I believe he’s working with Hades,” she spat out.  

 

“You believe or you know, Aphrodite? You have made assumptions of other gods’ loyalties before. Assumptions that turned out not only to be false but highly damaging.”

 

“I overheard Ares having a conversation with someone within our palace a few days ago,” replied Aphrodite, pacing in a small circle in the darkened parking lot. “But there was no one in the room with him. He was standing in front mirror, Hephaestus. And we all know there is only one person who had the power to communicate through mirrors,” she said, turning to stare at Hephaestus. “He had to be communicating with Hades.

 

“Why would Ares even fathom with working with Hades?”

 

“Ares has become restless, Hephaestus. No great wars or conflicts have occurred in nearly a century. His powers have weakened,” Aphrodite voiced, moving closer towards her estranged husband. “While others have strengthened on Olympus, he continues to weaken and Zeus will do nothing to help him regain his strength. I’m afraid that he has turned to Hades to help him regain some of his lost power.”

 

“That still does not sound like something Ares would agree too, Aphrodite. He is Zeus’s favourite.”

 

“You know that, that is not true,” she interrupted him. “Athena is Zeus’s favourite. She has been and always will be. You know how Ares is. He is a passionate, easily incensed, irrationally envious, and dangerously calculated. He’s lashing out. He’s lashing back against Zeus,” Aphrodite implored, trying to make him believe in what she was saying.

 

“Why would he lash back? Our powers wax and wane all the time, they have for eons. Ares knows this. He wouldn’t turn to Hades just for a boost in power that is sure to naturally occur in another century.”

 

“It’s not just that, Hephaestus,” she spoke, moving even closer towards him. “Ares is jealous, a degree of jealous I have never seen in him before.”

 

“Who does Ares have to be jealous of?” Hephaestus scoffed.  

 

“You,” Aphrodite replied pointedly. “He’s jealous of you and the relationship that you share with Zeus. He’s jealous that Zeus came to you instead of him in his greatest time of need, Hephaestus,” she said, her hands gesturing, inching within touching distance of him.

 

Hephaestus’s eyebrows rose in response.

 

“What do you mean by Zeus’s greatest time of need, Aphrodite?” hesitation and suspicious colouring his voice.

 

“Pandora, Hephaestus. Zeus sent you down to Earth to find Pandora.”

 

“How do you know about Pandora,” asked Hephaestus, a look of alarm blossoming on his face. “Zeus has told no one about her. How do you know about her, Aphrodite,” he growled, his voice dropping an octave, causing her to jump back.

 

“I – I – I overheard Zeus and Poseidon talking in the throne room one day,” spoke Aphrodite, her voice full of hesitation. “Zeus had asked Poseidon to descend to Earth to see if you were alright,” she added. She knew that she was not supposed to know about his mission to find Pandora and save her from Hades. She knew that only a handful of the gods, Poseidon, Athena, Hermes and Nike, knew of his mission only because their assistance had been required.

 

She knew she was in trouble.

 

“How do you know about Pandora, Aphrodite,” Hephaestus repeated, a venomous look blossoming in his eyes as he moved towards her, causing her to move farther away from him.

 

She was not ignorant of Hephaestus’s thoughts and feelings about her treatment of Pandora. She was not foolish enough to believe that Hephaestus would not harm her if she attempted to harm Pandora again.

 

The ground began to tremble beneath them as Aphrodite moved farther and farther away from Hephaestus, further and further into the darkened parking lot, away from all possible disturbances. It was the tremendous quaking of the ground beneath them that finally halted Hephaestus’s steps towards her. A stream of shadowy darkness emerged from the cracks in the ground and surrounded them, sucking the oxygen from the air, nearly asphyxiating the both of them.

 

The darkness disappeared just as quickly as it appeared, replaced by the figure that was Hades standing in front of her.  

 

“You overplayed your hand, you stupid child,” sounded Hades, as he stood above Hephaestus’ crumpled unconscious body. His fury solely aimed at Aphrodite.

 

“I’m sorry, Hades,” she pleaded. “It was an honest mistake. It just slipped from my mouth.”

 

“And now I have to deal with what your honest mistake has caused,” bellowed Hades, his voice shaking the parked cars around them. “You were to keep him occupied for a few days while Pandora finished unlocking the box. You had one job to do, Aphrodite, and you failed!”

 

Aphrodite shuttered and bowed her head in compliance as Hades continued to speak.

 

“Get out of my sight! And remain as such until I come to fetch you! Speak of this to no one. We mustn’t let the others discover what we have been planning. We are too close to my endgame to be foiled now,” he said determinedly, turning away from her.

 

“Yes, Hades,” Aphrodite replied begrudgingly, bowing to him before disappearing in a haze of rose-coloured mist.  

 

**…**

 

Hades grew tired, his fingers mindlessly thrumming against the side of his throne, as he continued to watch the still unconscious form of his nephew. The only source of light within the darkened room emanated from the bank of monitors surrounding him.

 

He had truly hoped that Hephaestus would not become an obstacle in the plot to overthrow Zeus from Olympian throne. While others had dismissed Hephaestus because of his supposed shortcomings and apathy towards furthering his position within Olympus, he had always seen the potential that lay within his nephew. Hephaestus could be a great leader, a greater god than any of his siblings, an even greater god than his father if he so desired.

 

He had always hoped to mould Hephaestus into such a god, a rightful heir to his legacy. Unfortunately that now seemed that day would never come to fruition all because Aphrodite could not keep her foolish mouth shut.

 

He was seriously reconsidering bringing her into his fold in his attempt to dethrone Zeus. She had been nothing but a pain in his side since the beginning. Her dark side, filled with narcissism, ill temperament, and hysterics, were beginning to rear its ugly head. Regrettably, he still needed her powers to move forwards with his plans.

 

He was counting the days until he could be finally rid of her. 

 

Hephaestus was still under the effects of a powerful sleeping potion, confined to the prison hidden in the Underworld invisible to all the gods. But he knew that the prison would not hold him for long. Hephaestus was a master craftsman, able to build some of the most intricate and complex prisons on every different plane of existence. An escape route would be the first thing that Hephaestus would try to discover the moment he awoke.

 

He needed to move quickly in order to salvage is overthrow. While he was not pleased about it, he could not have Hephaestus mucking things up. Nothing and no one would stop him from usurping Zeus’s throne, a throne that should’ve been his from the very beginning when they had overthrown Kronos and the other titans.

 

He was too close. The throne was just a hair’s breadth away from his grasp. No one would get in his way this time.

 

No one.

 

The monitor to his immediate left showed a sleeping Felicity in her bed, the laptop not far from her. She had returned home after hours of decoding the laptops firewall but had yet to crack it. She was close though. He could feel it in his bones.

 

Death and destruction were on the near horizon.

 

A sadistic grin appeared on his face at the thought that Zeus would not be able to stop its spread this time.

 

But time was of the essence. He needed Felicity to crack the code and open the box, unleashing all that the box held.

 

He needed her to do it now before he was discovered.

 

Hades grin became even wider as he thought of perfect way to provoke Felicity into finishing the decryption and open the box once again. But his face quickly contorted to one of displeasure, realizing that he would once again require the assistance of Aphrodite.

 

Only the moonlight lit the darkened bedroom as Hades emerged from its shadows. He stalked towards the bed, looking down at the still sleeping form of the woman who would bring about the end of the world.

 

The laptop emitted an eerily dark glow, becoming brighter as he neared it, sensing the fellow darkness that was shared between them.

 

Everything that he worked towards was within reach. The throne would soon be his.

 

A cloud of pink mist appeared beside him.

 

“Let’s get to work,” order Hades.

 

**...**

 

Pain radiated through his body as Oliver pushed himself off the cold stone floor, stumbling into the wall, as he tried to regain his balance.

 

His mind was under a complete fog as he tried to remember how he got here and why, shaking his head in a vain attempt to help clear his mind.

 

The last thing he remembered was having dinner with Felicity on their first official date. The dinner was everything he had dreamed of and more.

 

He remembered the way her eyes lit up in pure delight as he told her how nervous he was to be on a date with her. He remembered the way her cheeks flushed the most beautiful shade of pink he had ever seen when he had complimented her dress. He remembered how badly he wanted to climb right over the table to kiss her beautiful magenta coloured lips. He remembered how happy he felt when he heard her laugh. He remembered the look of lust that blossomed in her eyes as they kissed goodnight.

 

Just the mere thought of her brought a dopey smile to his face. He was completely enamoured, head over heels in love with her. He had been for centuries. He had spent every one of those centuries thinking about her, dreaming about her, imagining every what if that could have become reality had she not been taken from him. In his darkest moments, she was what kept him afloat, what kept him from fading into nothing. He couldn’t have imagined that he would have the chance to see her again, to be able to hear her laugh, to feel the warmth of her skin against his, to fall in love with her all over again. He promised himself that he would do whatever it took to ensure that this time would be different, that this time nothing and no one would take her away from him.

 

He chuckled to himself as he realized Poseidon might have been right when he had said that his eyes turned into hearts every time he laid eyes on her.

 

He would gladly have his eyes be hearts if they could look upon her every day for the rest of his days.

 

As his vision and mind cleared, he looked around at his surroundings. His brows furrowed as he realized he was in some kind of dungeon. His breath quickened as anxiety set in. He looked for any source of escape, a door or a window, anything that would allow him to flee.

 

He found none.

 

The walls looked to be made of completely smooth singular pieces of stone, surrounding him on all six sides. Only a small amount of light spilled through the cracks in the stone that sat atop him. The prison looked to be twice his height, both length and width wise.

 

He tried using his brute strength to smash the wall, throwing all of his bodily weight against it, but to no avail. The walls didn’t even budge against his weight and godly strength.

 

He tried to remember how he went from the end of his first date with Felicity to a prisoner inside stone cell, but his mind remained completely blank.

 

He took in deep gulps of air, as he tried to keep himself from panicking even more. He tried to clear his head once again, calling forth all his knowledge and skill as a craftsman. All prisons, even the most elaborate ones, had to have an escape route. All skilled craftsmen knew to build an escape route that allowed for them to remove themselves or escape from the prison if necessary.

 

He had to find that one escape route.

 

He mapped the walls with his hand, searching the smooth stone for any type of fissure or imperfection that could indicate a way out of this prison. He found nothing. The stones were completely smooth.

 

He could feel himself panicking once more. His thoughts drifted back to Felicity as he tried to calm himself, and it seemed to work for a brief moment. But his heart began to race as he realized that someone must have put him in this prison, and that someone had to have been Hades. And the only reason for Hades to remove him and incarcerate him was because he was going to try and get Felicity to open the box.

 

He began to pace back and forth as panic fully consumed him. 

 

He needed to get out of here. He needed to get to Felicity. He needed to get to her before she opened that cursed box once again. His fists bashed against the wall in pure frustration.

 

How could he have been so stupid to let his guard down? Even for a moment? A moment was all Hades ever needed. The bastard could worm his way into anything, through even the minuscule of cracks.

 

He thought he had more time, more time to get to know Felicity, to be with her, before the outside world came raining down on them.

 

He promised himself from the beginning that things would turn out differently this time, that she would not become a pawn this time, that he would save her this time.

 

He crouched against the wall, letting the coolness from the rock walls seep into his skin, as he tried to calm himself. It was not until he felt the trickle of something wet land upon his face that he moved from the near fetal position.

 

Water began to slowly trickle through the cracks in the stone ceiling, splashing against the stone around him. He moved the stand up as the water began to spill in faster and faster, submerging the ground and his feet in freezing water.

 

There was no way he was going to be able to escape from the cell now, the water inching higher and higher up.

 

He really wished he had Hermes powers to fly at the moment.  

 

The water had almost reached to his shoulders, as he continued to look around him for something, anything, to help him escape.

 

He saw nothing.

 

His panic did not begin to ebb until he heard the deep voice of his closet friend, his confidant and mentor, and one of the most trust worthy people in his family, call his name.

 

“Poseidon?” he growled, desperation underlying his frustration.  

 

“Hello, Oliver,” replied Poseidon, transforming from the water into his godlike form.

 

“What’s the hell is going on?”

 

“I do not have time to explain, Hephaestus. We must leave! Now! Hades will soon discover that we have broken into his prison and broken you out.”

 

“He’s going after Felicity isn’t he,” Oliver asked, distress colouring his voice, backing away from Poseidon and pulling at his own hair. The realization that he could lose her again, twisted his heart. 

 

“Yes,” Poseidon responded, looking equally distraught, knowing that he would not survive losing Felicity another time. “I’m sorry, Hephaestus. But we need to leave now!”

 

“How?” Oliver exclaimed. “I’ve tried to break out of here and nothing has worked!”

 

“We leave the same way I got in,” answered Poseidon, grabbing Oliver by his lapels and instantaneously turning them both into water, crawling up the sides of the stone walls and seeping through the cracks of the stone ceiling.

 

**…**

 

An overwhelming sense of panic and fear overtook her as she scrambled up and through the constant maze of tunnels, desperately looking for him. The tunnel walls were littered with different size holes and cracks, letting the bright sunlight seep through them, making the place aglow with light and warmth.  

 

“Oliver?” she screamed.

 

“Felicity,” she heard Oliver respond. “Felicity, I’m here. Please help me, Felicity,” begged Oliver, his voice filled with fear and panic.

 

“Oliver,” she called out, desperately looking for him through the maze of tunnels and not finding him. “OLIVER? Oliver, where are you?” She shouted, still running, her breath becoming more and more short.

 

“I’m over here, Felicity,” he bellowed, his voice echoing through the tunnels.

 

The more she ran the more tunnels seemed to appear. The tunnels seemed never ending. She felt her heart race as she continued to look for him, discouragement screaming through her.

 

She had to find him. She needed to find him. She couldn’t lose him.

 

If you asked her a year ago what was the moment that her life changed, she would’ve answered the day she decided to move on with her life and let go of the life she had, had with Cooper Seldon. But now, she had a completely different answer. The moment that her life changed, irrevocably, was the day she had met Oliver Queen.

 

She had fallen in love with him. She had fallen in love with Oliver Queen. She couldn’t describe the love she felt for him, it was completely different type of love than she had never felt before. One word that came close was intense. Everything she felt for him was intense, to a level she had never dared imagine. She felt loved and desired, safe and connected, when she was with him. She felt an intense desire to be with him, always. She couldn’t lose him. She didn’t want to lose him. It was those thoughts, those feelings, those desires, that drove her to keep looking, keep climbing, keep running towards him.

 

“Oliver,” Felicity called out.

 

“Felicity? I’m over here, Felicity,” she heard Oliver whisper.

 

“Oliver,” Felicity yelled as she rounded the corner of a tunnel. “Oliver,” she repeated, her voice full of relief as she saw him trapped behind cage doors, backlit by bright sunlight. “Oliver, are you okay,” she asked, dropping to her knees, tears springing in her eyes as she saw the cut on his lip and the bruised skin around his eye.

 

“It’s okay. I’m okay,” Oliver responded. “How did you get in here,” she questioned.

 

“I don’t know. One more I was in my apartment, then the next thing I know I’m in here and I hear your voice,” he huffed out, his body obviously in pain. His hands reached between the bars the clutch hers, causing an uncomfortable shock to run through her body. Her fingers tingled, as a sense of foreboding washed over her.

 

“Okay,” Felicity said, taking in a deep breath, trying to reign in her nerves, trying to shake the shock to her system. “I’m going to get you out. Okay. Just hang on, Oliver,” Felicity kept repeating. “I’m going to get you out.”

 

The cage door had been electronically sealed. Felicity ran her hands against the walls surrounding the cage, tapping the stone, looking for any false hollow piece that could have hidden a keypad. She knew she had found something when her hands tripped over a small split in the stone on the ground. Gripping the lip of the stone, she pulled it from the ground, revealing a touch screen monitor beneath it. Her fist was midway through the air before she even realized it. The code streaming in front of her was nothing she had ever seen before. It was intricate and sophisticated, complex and damningly smooth. It was a mystery to her, and she hated mysteries.

 

While her concentration was solely focused on the screen in front of her, her gaze kept drifting to the man she was trying to save. She had never seen Oliver in such a state, bloodied and broken. He always had an air about him, that he could face anything and everything the world could throw at him and come out the other end the victor. The man sitting in front of her scarcely looked like the man that she had fallen in love with, even though he looked exactly like him. Something felt off, she just couldn’t put her finger on it.

 

The code she was encountering was changing before her eyes. It seemed to expect and counter every moved she made. For every firewall she decrypted, another one would appear even more complex and difficult than the last. The code seemed to be a living organism, twisting and changing; it was a living, breathing, and self-aware and rational code. It was entirely unique. Her awe of the code did little to hamper her frustrations. Her exasperation levels continued to rise the more and more the code changed.

 

“Felicity,” Oliver asked, his breath ragged. “How are you doing?”

 

“I’m not sure,” Felicity responded, clearly agitated. “I’m close to cracking it. Just give me a few more minutes, okay? Just hang on for me.”

 

“I’ll do whatever you need of me, sweetheart.”

 

Her brows furrowed at the term of endearment that Oliver had called her and the level of submission posed. He had never called her any term of endearment before. He had never willing surrendered as quickly as he had just done. Why would he start calling her sweetheart now?

 

Something was wrong, very wrong.

 

“FELICITY,” she heard Oliver yell, her head shooting up from the screen to stare at him.

 

“What is it, Oliver? Why did you call me?”

 

“I didn’t call you,” sounded a confused Oliver.

 

“Yes, you did,” Felicity retorted.

 

“No, I didn’t,” responded Oliver.

 

“Felicity, wake up,” she heard Oliver whisper in her in ear. Confusion consumed her as she stared at a Oliver, still trapped behind caged doors and no where near her.

 

“I need you to wake up, Felicity,” echoed Oliver’s voice in her ear. “I know what you feel right now must feel very real. I know you’re scared. I know you’re frustrated. I know you’re confused. But what you are seeing, what you are feeling is not real. It is a mirage, a hallucination. I need you to wake up, Felicity. I need you to wake up right now. Right now. Right now, Felicity!”

 

Felicity shot awake, her fingers gripping her bedspread, as she tried to calm her ragged breathing.

 

“Thank god,” Oliver exhaled, as his hands came to cup her face.

 

She could feel the tension melt away from his body, as his thumb continued to softly stroke the side of her face, calming her nerves.

 

“Oliver, what just happened?”

 

“Felicity,” sounded Oliver.

 

She knew he was holding back. She could hear it in the tone of his voice. Oliver was hiding something. She didn’t know what it could be. Oliver had never purposely hidden anything from her since the moment they met. The same sense of foreboding that she had felt in her bizarre dream, washed over her once again.

 

“Please, Oliver. Just tell what just happened? Tell me what’s wrong?” she pleaded with him, her hands coming to grasp his.

 

“Felicity, it’s nothing. You just had a bad dream, okay? That’s all. It’s nothing.”

 

“Don’t say it’s nothing, Oliver,” Felicity countered. “The truth, please,” she said, steel underlying her voice, her eyes glaring directly into his. “Please, Oliver,” she implored.

 

“It’s better if I show you,” Oliver sighed, as his arms surrounded her body.

 

She felt the air disappear from her lungs, as she felt her stomach drop.

 

One moment she was in her bed with Oliver, the next she was standing, still encircled in his arms, in a place she could only describe as heavenly. Calm clouds drifted across clear blue, as the sun shone glasses windows surrounding them on all sides. Twelve beautifully crafted chairs, ones she could only describe thrones, sat at the very edges of the room.

 

“Where are we, Oliver,” Felicity asked, her voice full of wonder.

 

“We’re on Mount Olympus,” answered Oliver, the trepidation clear in his voice.

 

“Mount Olympus? As like the Mount Olympus where the Greeks gods of mythology reside,” Felicity questioned, her voice full of doubt.

 

“All myths start from somewhere, Felicity,” responded Diggle, as he emerged from behind from the throne adorned with marine life and waves. “Even those of the ancient gods.”

 

Felicity’s eyes widened in disbelief as Diggle moved closer to where Oliver and her were standing. Her head was swirling with questions. Why was Diggle here? Why was she on Mount Olympus? How did such a thing as Mount Olympus even possible?

 

“I know you must have a lot of different questions, Felicity. Oliver and I will endeavour to answer as many as we possibly can. But I must ask for you to delay those questions for the moment and let us explain why we have brought you here. Oliver,” Diggle said, gesturing for him to take over.

 

“You must have heard of the myth of Pandora,” Oliver said. “A woman created by Zeus to enact revenge against Prometheus for stealing fire and giving it to the humans on Earth. Pandora was gifted a box upon her marriage to Epimetheus, Prometheus’s brother, and told not to open the box for any reason. Pandora was gifted by many different traits by the gods, her name meaning ‘all-gifted’. Zeus gifted Pandora with curiosity, an insatiable curiosity. She tried to quell her curiosity of what was hidden within the box. She did everything she could but her curiosity of what lay within the box consumed her. She opened the box and released upon the death, despair, destruction and death upon the world, consuming the Earth in darkness once again.”

 

Oliver paused as he ran his hands soothingly down her arms.

 

“You are Pandora, Felicity.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I love hearing what you have to say, good or bad, so comment away.


	6. Sacrifice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's just admit something, I'm kind of bad with updates. I know. I'm sorry. Finding time to write and writing what I want to write is sometimes a challenge. I've been working on this chapter for weeks, writing and writing and then rewriting and rewriting bits and pieces of the chapters to almost the exact specifications I had set out in my mind. I think I got there, I think. This has been one of my most research intensive chapters up to date. While I love Greek mythology, I'm not as well versed in it as I once was. You don't want to know how many time I googled 'how to get to the Underworld'.
> 
> This fic is nearing its end. When I first began the fic I had plotted the entire fic, every chapter, every plot point, everything, mostly. And I've mostly stuck to that plan. I have made changes, changes for the better, I think and I only planned for one more chapter of this fic. And there will be only one more chapter for this fic. 
> 
> Hopefully you all enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. :)

 

* * *

 

_He waited, standing silently still, as the wind howled violently around him, shaking the ancient olive trees around him. The rustling of the leaves and the creaking of the branches were the only sounds that could be heard for miles around. He watched as the blood red sun dipped beneath the horizon and the darkness engulfed the light around him._

 

_His heart barely beat as he waited. He could scarcely believe that his heart was still beating. His entire body ached in a way he never had felt before. Tears were no longer able to stream from his eyes. His body was numb and cold, as were his eyes. Dulled by the devastation he felt in every bone of his body. Hours ago, he watched as his light, his love, his heart disappear in a fiery blaze upon her funeral pyre. Anger and grief warred within him, his entire being unsteadied, as he continued to stand, motionless, waiting. Waiting for her._

 

_He knew that his presence here was against every rule, every decree, of the gods, but he could no longer fathom nor care for what the gods commanded. Nothing mattered to him anymore. He would gladly welcome Zeus himself if he came down from Olympus and struck him down where he stood. But he knew that his father would never allow him such peace or happiness._

 

_It was one of Hermes many duties to guide the dead to the Underworld to await judgement before entering the afterlife. It was one of his most important duties and one that he took with the greatest care and delicacy above all his other duties as a god._

 

_He had demanded, begged, plead, bartered with his brother to allow him to guide Pandora to the Underworld instead of him. Hermes had agreed to his offer on one of two condition, after guiding Pandora to the Underworld he would return to his brothers and sisters’ side to capture and secure the evils that had been unleashed upon the earth from the box that their father had gifted Pandora._

 

_He had agreed to Hermes’s condition without forethought. He would do whatever it took to be in her presence for just a few moments longer. His heart, his mind, his ever-immortal soul longed for such a reunion, however brief or fraught it would be._

 

_His body was cloaked in a long hooded robe, distorting his already glamoured appearance even more. Hermes’ other condition was that Pandora could never learn that it was he and not Hermes that had guided her to the Underworld. It was one of the most sacred commandments of the gods to not interfere with the dead’s journey to the Underworld and their judgement of their afterlife. If he were to reveal to Pandora that it was not Hermes but he who had guided her to the Underworld, the consequences for her could be devastating._

 

 

_So there he stood, on the edge of the olive grove, where they had spent hours together, basking in each other’s presence, falling in love with one another bit by bit, waiting for her arrival._

 

_He could feel her, smell the sweet floral of her scent, before he even laid eyes on her. His hand tightened against Hermes’ Golden Rod as he felt her approach him. The ache to hold her in his arms clawed at him like a beast from within. It took all his remaining strength not to run to her and fold her into his arms once again and never let her go._

 

_He closed his eyes for just a moment, as his heart beat steadily for the first time in what felt like eons, warmth flowed through his veins, and breath returned to his body, before he turned towards her._

 

_His head dipped, eyes unable to look into hers, as the hood shielded his face, for fear of revealing the deception of his appearance and plan. She always could tell when he was lying to her. And he could not, under any circumstance, reveal his true identity to her for fear of the troubles and torment that were sure to meet her in the depths of the Underworld. He could not bear to see her hurt once again. He would do everything, even annihilating his own needs and desires, to see her safe and happy in the Underworld._

 

_Her voice, so soft and gentle yet strong and bright, assaulted his every fibre as she spoke first, “are you here to guide me to the Underworld?”_

 

_“Yes, I am to be your guide,” he answered, trying to keep his voice steady, as the glamour worked to modify his voice to that of Hermes._

 

_He knew that most souls were reluctant to follow Hermes to the Underworld for fear of what fate they would meet in the depths of Hades’ kingdom. The rod that he tightly gripped in his hand was used to ease such fears and make the souls more compliant in their acceptance of their death and their fate. He hoped that he would not have to use it against her. Even the mere thought of such a circumstance, burned his hand as his hold of the rod tightened even further._

 

_The journey for each soul to the mouth of the Underworld was wholly unique unto each soul, and entirely of their volition. Some souls wished to relieve their fondest childhood memory, others ventured through their most beloved fantasy, but most wished to wander to the afterlife through their most cherished place on Earth._

 

_“Close your eyes,” Hephaestus quietly commanded, “imagine the path you choose to walk through. Envision it and it will become true.”_

 

_Hephaestus watched in astonishment as the surroundings around him begin to blur and vanish and replaced with a place that was all too familiar to him. The walls building around him were that of his home._

 

_His breath caught in his lungs as he watched every detail, every piece of art, every nook and cranny appear before his eyes. Every thing that he saw was not of his own doing, but of hers. She had memorized every detail of his home and wished it to be the last thing she saw on Earth before her journey to an eternal afterlife._

 

_His heart thundered underneath his chest as he finally lifted his head to look at her, knowing that her eyes were still closed._

 

_He could only look upon her ghostly face, when all he yearned to do was hold her in his arms, caress the warmth of her skin, envelop himself in her scent, and feel his heart beat in the same measure as hers. Yet he remained still. Every muscle urged, ached for him to move, to hold, to kiss her, to feel her body pressed against his._

 

_His head ducked once again, as Pandora opened her eyes._

 

_“Follow the path that your instincts tell you to,” he told her, sneaking glances of her from beneath his hood, as she looked at her surroundings, a small smile blossoming on her lips. “Trust your instinct. Trust your heart,” he said evenly, as he desperately tried to keep his voice from breaking, “it will lead you down the correct path.”_

 

_He wandered after her, just like the first time he had brought her to his home, watching as her face filled with joy as they entered each room. Her hands reaching out to touch different items, her laughter filling the room as she noticed different things in each room they walked into. Memory, after memory, after memory, assaulted him as he too remembered all the things that had happened in each room between them. The ache to reach out, just to hold her hand, grew ever stronger. He did not know how much longer he would be able to temper his ache._

 

_He saw her stop in front of the doors to the hidden garden in his home. His own footsteps faltered in the process. Memories of all the time they shared together in the garden flooded his mind. This was the first place that she had truly felt comfortable in his home. This was the first place that he learnt of all facets of her personality. This was the place that he committed her every smile, every twinkle in her eye, every raised eyebrow to his mind. This was the most sacred space in the entire world to him, and it had only become more sacred the moment he had been able to share it with her. This was the place that he had condemned himself to after her cold, dead body had been retrieved from his hands before it was cleansed and set upon the funeral pyre._

 

_“Why did you stop,” he softly asked her, not wanting to spook her._

 

_“This is where the path ends,” she whispered. “I do not want to leave yet,” her voice breaking, her teardrops sprinkling onto the stone floor in front of her._

 

_“It is alright to be afraid,” Hephaestus responded. “We are all afraid of what we do not know. But do not fear this,” he continued, not wanting to have to use Hermes’ rod to force her into the room. “Just follow your heart. Listen to what it says,” he urged._

 

_He did not know if it was minutes or hours later, but he watched as her palms laid flat against the heavy stone doors and pushed against them. The garden spread out in front of them as they entered. Pandora had memorized every detail of the room, from the intricate stone floors, to every flower and plant, and even the small stepping-stones in the babbling brook._

 

_The question leaped from his tongue before he could stop himself, “why did you choose this place?”_

 

_Silence surrounded them, as she looked on, a pondering look gracing her face as he snuck glances of her, his face remaining cloaked by the hood._

 

_“Home,” she whispered so quietly that he would have missed it if he had not been so attentive. “This is the first place that I felt at home,” she continued, her voice calm. “It’s the first place I felt safe, where I felt protected and happy,” she paused. “This is the first place I felt loved,” her eyes sparkled with unshed tears, melancholy filling her voice. “I wanted to come home.”_

 

_He was surprised that Hermes’ rod had not cracked in half from the force that he was applying to it as he gripped it with every ounce of strength that he had, frantically tried to hold himself back from moving towards her to wipe the tears from her eyes._

 

_A look of confusion crossed her face as she stared passed him towards something behind him. He quickly moved aside as she moved towards him and whatever she had seen behind him._

 

_“Is something the matter,” Hephaestus asked, his brows furrowed._

 

_“This tree,” she said, pointing to a tree that had sprouted near the a stone bench that the two of them had sat on discussing so many different topics that had come to her mind one afternoon. “This tree does not belong here,” her head shaking. “I have never seen it before,” her hand stroking the leaves of the tree. “It is quite beautiful,” she said, “not as beautiful as that of an olive tree though,” a small smile gracing her lips._

 

_“You should pluck one of its leaves? A memento of sorts for your journey,” Hephaestus responded, knowing the greater significance of the leaves on the tree._

 

_The leaf that Pandora plucked from the tree turned from green to gold the moment it was split from the tree, another golden leaf springing to life from where it was plucked._

 

_The garden that surrounded them moments ago disappeared as quickly as it appeared._

 

_The two of them were left standing on the banks of the River Styx. Cauldrons of fire provided the only source of light in the darkness of the mouth to the Underworld. Charon, the ferryman, and his vessel stood not far from them._

 

_“This is where my journey ends with you, Pandora,” he spoke, knowing the true meaning behind his words. This is where their journey together would truly end. The small amount of time that they had spent together was the happiest he had ever felt, and he had only her to thank for that. The love that flourished between them was never supposed to occur. It was a love borne out of something greater than Zeus and The Fates. It was a love that he thought he could ever have had. They were never supposed to be together; their destinies were never supposed to have entwined. The Fates had spoken. What was done was done, and he would forever live only a half-life. His other half separated from him by death that Zeus and The Fates had dealt._

 

_The devastation of losing her once again overwhelmed him. He thought he saw a similar look of devastation cross her face as he looked upon her as she stared at Charon and the vessel before her. The look vanished as quickly as it has appeared._

 

_He watched as she walked lingering in front of him before wandering away from him and towards Charon and his vessel. She jumped suddenly as Charon struck his arms out, frightening her, as he barred her from his vessel. The sleeves of his dirty rob acting as a curtain between her and the vessel._

 

_“You must pay the ferryman,” he spoke soothingly, trying to calm her already frayed nerves. She may have willingly accepted her fate but it still frightened her. Death and the afterlife were still unknowns to her. His heart spoke before his head could reason. He would forever endeavour to protect her, and to see her safe and happy. Even the small act of speaking to calm her nerves soothed the ache that had begun to blossom within him the moment he saw her lying on the cold hard ground in the house she shared with Epimetheus._

 

_“With what,” she asked._

 

_“With what you hold in your hand,” he responded._

 

_He watched as she looked down at the golden leaf in her hand before handing it warily to Charon._

 

_The golden leaf was quickly accepted by Charon, a payment that he had seldom received as his time as the ferryman of the River Styx, before boarding the vessel and venturing to the bow of the vessel, turning his back to the two of them. To cross the dangerous waters of the River Styx safely, a payment was always required by Charon. The ferryman commanded the only vessel capable of crossing the River Styx unharmed. The payment was usually paid in the form of coins, left on the body of the dead before the final funeral rites were performed. The golden leaf, a golden bough, was a payment reserved for the living. A sacred payment granted by the gods to allow the living to cross the River Styx and enter and leave the Underworld unscathed._

 

_The golden bough was Pandora’s payment, a gift given by Hephaestus, to secure her an even safer journey across the River Styx and into the Underworld than any deceased soul had ever received before._

 

_His feet moved timidly as he stepped towards her, offering his hand to help her into the vessel. The moment he felt her hand in his he felt whole once again, an electric shock running from her hand and into his. Her hand twitched before she turned to look at him, seeing him for the first time beneath the hood, her breath hitching._

 

_The look of recognition sparked in her eyes before she whispered, “Hephaestus.” Her voice and eyes were full of so many emotions. Joy. Sadness. Surprise. Desperation. Desire. Love. She smiled, a knowing smile, which said all that she could not speak. She recognized him, the real him, beneath even one of the most powerful glamours ever enacted. “The glamour is nice,” she said softly, moving closer to him, standing only a breath away from him. “Yet I see right through it,” she spoke looking directly at him, “like I always have.”_

 

_He stood still, barely breathing, afraid to move in case he alerted someone of his presence and take her away from him. Tears stung his eyes, as he was finally able to look into hers. The golden bough did not just provide Pandora with a safe passage through the Underworld, but also a moment of privacy, just a moment, from Charon, from the gods, and from The Fates._

 

_“It is alright, Hephaestus,” she spoke softly, tears forming in her eyes as one of her hands reached up to cup his cheek, while the other covered his beating heart. “It is alright, my love,” her hand wiping the tear that had fallen from his eyes. “This is not goodbye, Hephaestus,” her head shaking. “This is not our goodbye,” confidence colouring her voice._

 

_He ached as he listened to her words. Her disregard of their circumstances, of her belief, that this was not their goodbye made his heart beat and break instantaneously._

 

_“This,” she said, as she moved his hand and placed his palm above her heart, “this cannot die. This cannot be destroyed,” her voice wavering ever so slightly. “This cannot be taken from us,” her eyes glowing with absolute conviction, her fingers drumming against his heart. “I will not say goodbye. I cannot say goodbye, Hephaestus,” her voice breaking._

 

_His restraint broke._

 

_His arms encircled her, as he pressed her body into his. His chin rested atop her head, as he hands trailed up and down her back, trying to soothe the pain that she was feeling. They stayed like that, enclosed in the others embrace, as their hearts began to beat in sync with one another’s._

 

_“Pandora,” he murmured, his lips pressing into her hair, while her hands tightly gripped the robe he wore._

 

_“I do not want to go,” she pled, her tears wetting his robe. “I do not want to leave you.”_

 

_He slowly drew back, just inches from her, to look into her eyes, a sad smile adorning his face. His hands caressing her cheeks, as his fingers moved to catch her tears. The pain he felt tearing him apart._

 

_His lips trembled before he found the strength to speak. “We must,” his hand sweeping away her hair that had fallen into her face. “We cannot stay here forever. No matter how much we wish it, my love. You are so precious. You have a chance, a chance at happiness if you follow Charon across the river. I know it. I have done everything in my power to ensure it. I will sacrifice everything that I am to see to it be. So please, I beg of you. Follow your instinct, follow the pull, and step onto Charon’s vessel,” his eyes beseeching her to follow his plea._

 

_“But my heart wishes to stay,” she countered, her hands now gripping his._

 

_“I know,” his fingers moving slowly back and forth against hers, trying to calm her. “My heart wishes it too. But it is for naught. Please, Pandora. Please do this for me. You can have peace and happiness if you cross that river. It is all I have ever wanted for you. Please.”_

 

_He could see her acceptance of his plea behind the tears that now clouded her eyes. His lips pressed against her forehead then moved to her eyelids, kissing each one with reverence. His lips brushed gently against the tip of her nose before pausing. The meeting of their lips was slow, each savouring, memorizing, the feel of the others lips, lingering as long as they could before separating._

 

_He did not think that he could break anymore than he already had. But he was wrong. So very wrong. His arm stretched out as far as it could, grasping her hand, before their link was finally severed as she stepped onto Charon’s vessel. He watched as she faded into the darkness. His body grew cold from the loss of her touch once more. His heart slowed, to a near stop, as its other half was separated. He became a shell of the god he once was as his world crumbled to pieces around him and the darkness surrounded him._

 

**…**

 

All he could see was the shifting looks of disbelief and utter confusion on Felicity’s face as she paced around the thrones. He heard her scoff, muttering how she must still be stuck in her bizarre dream because nothing Oliver and Diggle had just said made any sense.

 

“You are not dreaming, Felicity,” he voiced, trying in vain to help ease her mind. “Everything I just said is true. You are Pandora. Well, Pandora reincarnated.”

 

Felicity squatted down, her arms curling defensively around herself, as she tried to make sense of everything that has just been thrown at her. He watched as she tried pinching herself to wake up, but it only seemed hurt her arm in the process he deduced from her “ouch” cry.

 

“You asked for the truth, Felicity. And I’m telling you the truth,” Oliver said, concern colouring his voice as he crouched down beside her, careful not to startle her. “I know that it is a lot to take in.”

 

“A lot to take in?” sounded Felicity, her voice hitting a higher octave. “You just told me that I’m Pandora reincarnated! You’re saying that I am a being from a Greek myth. A GREEK MYTH! You just told me that we are on Mount Olympus, the mythical home of the Greek gods,” her voice becoming higher as she continued speaking. “I must be high! Granted I haven’t ingested any pot since I ate that pot brownie in college that put me in the hospital because it was also laced with nuts,” she babbled, as she stood quickly and began pacing, “but that doesn’t mean I’m not high. Maybe there was some chemical sprayed in the air that makes people hallucinate things that aren’t real. I’m probably still in my bed. Or maybe there’s been a carbon monoxide leak and it’s poisoning my brain. Oh my god!”

 

“Felicity. Relax. Take a deep breath,” implored Oliver, afraid that she would start hyperventilating and go into shock. “You look like you’re going to pass out.”

 

“Pass out?” she screeched. “I might be dying for carbon monoxide poisoning right now!”

 

“Take a deep breathe,” Oliver ordered, watching her stop pacing in front of him. “That’s it. Deep breathe in. Deep breathe out,” he said nodding and following his own advice, trying to get Felicity to do the same, his long fingers rubbing her shoulder blades as his hands gripped her shoulders trying to calm her.

 

She visibly relaxed the longer that Oliver continued to speak and rub her shoulders, breathing in and breathing out deeper breathes. Her shoulders visibly relaxed, her body releasing some of the tension she had held in.

 

“I know this is a lot to take in, Felicity. I know,” he said, his hands sliding down her arms before enveloping his hands in hers already feeling her pulse calming. “This is not a dream. You have not ingested or inhaled a hallucinogenic. You are not being poisoned by carbon monoxide. And I am not lying to you when I say that you are Pandora, the same Pandora from Greek myth, reincarnated.”

 

“You’re not lying,” she whispered, the look of realization entering her eyes.

 

“No, I’m not. Even if I were, you’d be able to see through it. Just like you always have,” he answered softly, the corner of his lips ticking up. “You asked for the truth, Felicity. This is the truth. I know it’s all mind boggling, even for a genius mind like yours,” Oliver chuckled.

 

“So this is Mount Olympus,” Felicity said, still somewhat dazed, awe imbuing her voice as she looked around the throne room, noting all the thrones, and the majesty and beauty of the room, and the scene outside. “It’s kind of beautiful.”

 

Oliver huffed sardonically. “To some,” he noted, “but I can think of more beautiful things,” he said, looking directly at her as her eyes continued to wander across the room, not noticing the attention he was paying to her.

 

“Hearts eyes, Oliver,” Diggle smirked, mirth filling his eyes as he approached the two of them.

 

“So if were on Mount Olympus and I’m Pandora then who exactly are you two,” Felicity warily questioned, an air of incredulity marking her voice as she looked at the both of them.

 

“Poseidon. God of the Sea,” Diggle announced, standing to his full height, godly power rolling off his body, as his head tipping to Felicity. “At your service.”

 

“And you,” Felicity asked, looking inquisitively at Oliver.

 

“Hephaestus,” Oliver answered, “God of Fire and Blacksmiths.”

 

“I can see it,” Felicity responded. “You are certainly hot,” biting her bottom lip, as she looked him up and down. “And you’ve got very nice large hands,” she continued, still staring at him, “perfect for handling things. The girls were right when they thought you looked liked a Greek god,” she said smirking. “You are a Greek god,” a manic snort escaping her as she continued to ogle him.

 

“I guess you’re not the only one with heart eyes,” Diggle amusingly retorted, looking at Felicity.

 

“Why am I here,” Felicity asked earnestly, the gravity of the situation returning to her voice as she looked back into his eyes.

 

Oliver nervously swallowed as he tried to verbalize and coherently explain the situation at hand to her.

 

“We are at war,” Diggle explained, jumping in when Oliver faltered in responded to Felicity’s question. “The box that Pandora, that you, opened millenniums ago was an actual object and with its opening it released upon the world illnesses, plagues, despair, destruction, and death. It took all of us,” he indicated to the twelve thrones that occupied the room, “to contain all that was released back within the box. Zeus himself threw the box into the four winds to be lost forever to not only the human race but to us as well.”

 

“A war is brewing among the gods, a war that has been a building between Zeus and Hades for millenniums. Lines have been drawn in the sand and both sides have been actively recruiting and spying on the other. Discretely though,” said Oliver, continuing where Diggle had stopped. “Hades power has diminished greatly over the past centuries. He no longer has the stores of power that is needed to take on Zeus and those under this command. Hades has been seeking a way in which to increase his powers. And he has found it,” he said, looking pointedly at Felicity.

 

“Me?” Felicity said, her brows furrowing. “I don’t understand. What do I have to do with Hades power grab?”

 

“A lot, actually,” Oliver responded. “Hades power was magnified, almost to the point where he overshadowed Zeus’s when Pandora unleashed the evils within the box millenniums ago. Hades intends to unleash the evil within the box once again to strengthen his powers before battling Zeus for his throne.”  

 

“Unfortunately for us,” Diggle spoke gravely, “Hades has discovered and retrieved the box.”

 

“And now he needs to key to open it,” realization hitting Felicity. “So my dream of me trying to hack into the cage to break you,” waving her hand at Oliver, “out of the cell was not a just a dream?”

 

“No, it was not. It was another one of his attempts to get you to open the box. The box and you are intrinsically linked. It can sense you and you can sense it,” Diggle supplied. “You are the only one who has the ability to open it. We believe that Hades has already tried to deceive you into opening the box prior to this attempt. He will not stop until you open that box. He will only become more bold, more dangerous, and more deadly in his attempts to get you to open the box.”

 

“Which is why I brought you here, Felicity,” Oliver said. “You’re safe here. No one can hurt you here. I won’t allow it,” he said earnestly, his hands squeezed hers, silently vowing to protect her once again as he looked into her eyes.

 

“What you will and will not allow is not up to you, Hephaestus,” bellowed an authoritative voice, as the doors to the throne room swung open. The ground trembled beneath their feet.

 

The presence and power of the King of Gods flowed throughout the room as Zeus stepped into it, followed by a number of other gods and goddesses.

 

“Father,” greeted Oliver coldly.

 

“Hephaestus,” Zeus responded, ignoring displeasure. “I do not have to remind you that mortals are not allowed on Mount Olympus, do I, son?” admonishing him.

 

“Felicity is no mere mortal, father,” Oliver shot back, as he stared his father down, letting go of only one of Felicity’s hands, as he turned to face him. “Hades has the box. He has attempted to deceive Felicity into opening the box. He will not stop until she does. You told me that I must protect her. And that is what I am doing, Father. I’m protecting her!”

 

“And you seek to do so by bringing her here to Olympus,” Zeus retorted, anger and power rolling his body as he moved closer to Oliver’s position.

 

“Yes,” Oliver responded, shifting slowly in front of Felicity, no fear of what his father may do to him.

 

“This is not the way things work, Hephaestus,” Zeus spat, clearly displeased and disappointed in his son’s actions.

 

“I am merely following your orders, Father. I am merely following my duties as your son to protect this family from Hades wrath. I am preforming my godly duties in protecting the lives of billions of mortal on Earth, Father,” Oliver shouted, squaring off against Zeus, his own power and anger rolling off his body.

 

“Enough!” Hera thundered, silencing every god and goddess in the room. “There is already enough infighting to bring us all down as is. Fighting each other will do none of us any good,” she declared, as she moved towards Zeus’s side.

 

“We cannot undo what has already been done, Zeus. She is here and as Hephaestus has pointed out, she is safe from Hades grasp. We cannot allow her to fall into Hades hands so put aside your pride and your precious rules for the moment,” malevolence filling Hera’s voice, fire burning in her eyes as she faced off against Zeus.

 

Oliver watched as his parents stood glaring at each other before Zeus succumbed to Hera’s will.

 

“Welcome to Mount Olympus, Felicity,” greeted Hera, grace adorning her every feature. “I am Hera, Queen of the Gods and Hephaestus’s mother. This is Zeus, if you could not already tell, King of the Gods and Hephaestus’s father,” pointing to her husband.

 

“Pleasure,” Felicity replied hesitantly.

 

“So this is her,” voiced Aphrodite, disapproval and jealously filling her voice, glaring daggers at Felicity as she moved closer to where he and Felicity stood, “the key to our ultimate destruction or survival.”

 

“Aphrodite,” reprimanded Hera, annoyance ringing in her tone.

 

“Let me introduce myself,” voiced Aphrodite haughtily, “I am Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, and Hephaestus’s wife,” her voice full of snide, her thorns barring as she moved closer to Felicity.

 

He felt her hand tighten around his and the sudden rigidness of Felicity’s body as she heard Aphrodite’s introduction as his wife. He involuntarily began rubbing the skin of her wrist with his thumb as he tried to calm the nerves that must be erupting in her once again. He can feel some of the tension in her body lessen the longer he glides his thumb against her wrist. He had spent so long from Aphrodite that he had forgotten her vanity, ill temperament, and jealous streak that were part and parcel of her personality.

 

“And when I didn’t think things could get even more awkward and confusing,” Felicity remarked, as she continued in the stare down with Aphrodite, unwilling to lose an inch to the goddess that called herself Oliver’s wife. He had to tamp down the growing smile on his face at Felicity’s ferocity.

 

“This isn’t the most awkward family introduction ever,” sounded Athena. “Helen definitely had it worse. The reception she received from Priam and Hecuba when Paris brought her home to Troy definitely beats this one, in spades,” emphasizing her last words, as she elbowed Aphrodite aside as she moved towards Felicity. “Nice to meet you, Felicity. I’m Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, and Oliver’s sister. You can call me Thea if you wish,” a genuine smile gracing her face as she stood in front of Felicity.

 

“It’s nice to meet you, Thea,” Felicity said smiling.

 

“It’s a pleasure. I’ve been dying to meet you,” she said excitedly. “I thought it would take Hephaestus forever to ask you on a real date. He’s a little slow on the uptake,” she whispered conspiratorially, winking mischievously.

 

“Hey,” he protested half-heartedly.

 

“That’s Hermes, the Messenger of the Gods, and Nike, Goddess of Victory,” she said, pointing behind her, completely ignoring his reaction. “Welcome to Mount Olympus.”

 

“Enough,” sounded Zeus, stopping Athena speech in her tracks. “If you’re done with your introductions, Athena. Please escort Felicity to your chambers. Alone,” ordered Zeus.

 

“Father,” Oliver objected, not wanting to be separated from Felicity, especially in place unfamiliar to her. He knew the logic behind his father’s words but his stomach still twisted in knots at the thought of being separated from her.

 

“Do not worry yourself, Hephaestus. She will be thoroughly guarded by Nike and Hermes. We have important matters to discuss. Strategies need to be created. Battle plans need to be drawn. We do not have time for you to fawn over your mortal beloved. Hades must know that we have her now and he will attack, sooner and later, and we must be prepared.”

 

Oliver reluctantly released Felicity into the hands of his sister as he heeded his father’s order. But not before his hands curled around her face as he placed a kiss upon her lips, their bodies melting into each other as their kiss continued. He pressed his forehead against hers as their kiss ended. He looked into her eyes, told her everything that he could not say aloud. He loved her. Only her. He needed her. He would always be there for her. He would always come for her. His hands reluctantly left hers as he watched Felicity and his sister walk out of the throne room and down the corridor away from, trailed by Hermes and Nike. He knew what had to be done to face Hades but willingly letting Felicity pained him. A sense of foreboding and déjà vu washed over him with each step she took away from him.

 

**…**

 

Felicity closed her eyes as she tried to calm her spinning mind, blocking out everything that was around her, as she concentrated on her breathing.

 

Deep breathe in. Deep breathe out. Deep breathe in. Deep breathe out.

 

Screw it she thought as she abruptly stood up from her sitting position and began pacing across the chamber once again. She had lost count of how many times she had walked from one end of the chamber to the other. It had been hours since Thea had left. The nervous energy that had begun when she had awoken from her terrifying dream had only amplified the longer she had been left alone. Her mind kept wandering back to everything she had seen and heard since she had awoken.

 

Nothing made sense. Not only did Ancient Greek gods and goddesses exist but she was currently somewhere on Mount Olympus. That wasn’t even the craziest thing that swirled in her mind. She was Pandora, or at least a reincarnated version of Pandora, the woman who had unwittingly opened a box and nearly destroyed the Earth and its inhabitants in the process. And now the God of the Underworld, the devil incarnate, was after her because only she could open a stupid damn box and bring about another apocalypse so that he could conduct a one man coup d’état. Nothing made any absolute sense. She would have been committed to a psychiatric ward if she were to tell a person on the street everything that had happened to her since she had awoken.

 

Nothing made sense. Nothing felt real. Nothing but her feelings for Oliver. While her mind was still trying to comprehend all that was thrown at her, her heart did not waver. She had fallen for Oliver. She had fallen in love with a man that made her smile, feel safe and protected, cherished and loved. She had fallen in love with a man who had lied to her about his identity from the moment they met yet she did not feel betrayed. She knew that the man that she had fallen for, the Oliver that she had gotten to know over the weeks of office meetings, coffee breaks, non-date lunches and dinners, and one actual date, was the true him. She didn’t know how to explain it. She just knew. She knew him. She trusted him, unequivocally.

 

So as she continued to pace across the chambers once again her mind wandered to the taste and feel of his lips against hers. The man could kiss. Her body tingled at the thought of his lips and body pressed against her.

 

The knock on the doors interrupted her train of increasingly steamy thoughts about Oliver and his lips.

 

Zeus swept into the room, his arrogant and godly air permeating across the room.

 

“Hello, Felicity,” sounded Zeus, before slinking onto one of the elaborate chaise lounges in the center of the chamber.

 

“Where’s Oliver?”

 

“He’s momentarily unavailable. You know with the whole upcoming battle against Hades and all,” Zeus answered, one of his eyebrows raised at her questioning.

 

“Then why are you here,” Felicity asked, her brows furrowing to understand why the King of Gods would come to see her when a battle was brewing with him at the supposed forefront.

 

“I have a few questions concerning your presence here on Mount Olympus,” Zeus paused, rising up from his seat and circling her, “and in Hephaestus’s life.”

 

“What sorts of questions,” Felicity responded, her heart beating faster. She could feel his eyes trailing over her, could see the look of curiosity on his face, as Zeus continued to circle around her, the air around her becoming colder with each turn he took around her, discomfort invading her senses.

 

“You are one of the few mortals that has ever been allowed on Mount Olympus. You are a guest of Hephaestus, have been vouched for by the God of the Seas, and so it seems, the beneficiary of the support of Athena, Hermes, and Nike. You’ve made quite a profound impact on Mount Olympus. I was wondering how did you do it? How did you garner such loyalty and support in such a short amount of time,” Zeus questioned, now standing right in front of her, his gaze not wavering from hers. “What are your true intentions for being here? Protection? Power? Immortality? Love?” Zeus sneered, as he continued to circle her like a predator after its prey.

 

Felicity was beginning understand why Oliver had been so confrontational and cold with his father when they had first arrived on Olympus. Zeus seemed to ignite the fight response in a person.

 

“I didn’t even know of the existence of Greeks gods and Mount Olympus until a few hours ago,” Felicity replied calmly, her voice full of steel, unwilling to flounder under Zeus’s gaze. “I didn’t even know that my life was at risk until a few hours ago,” the fire in her eyes burned brighter with each response. “I’m here because Oliver brought me here. He believes that I will be safe here, and I believe him.”

 

“Such belief in a man that has lied to you from the moment you met?” Zeus spoke, moving away from her. “One that continues to lie to you about your past together,” smirked Zeus. “Do you truly believe that the feelings, the love, that you have for him is reciprocated?”

 

“Yes,” Felicity answered confidently. She had seen the love that Oliver had felt for her in his eyes, felt the love that surged through his veins with every touch, and acknowledged that mutual love with every kiss they had shared. He had opened himself up to her in a way she could scarcely believe. And he had changed her life for the better by being in it in return. She trusted Oliver, she believed in him, even in the face of mounting madness. She thought she had seen of flash of jealously pass through Zeus’s eyes as he circled her once again.

 

“Gods do not love, Felicity. Gods devour love. The love that mortals have for us fuels us. It drives us. It makes us powerful. Love is a tool, dear child. A weapon. It is not something that we gods truly covet. We covet power.”

 

“That’s not true,” Felicity retorted, disbelieving of the words Zeus spoke. “Not for Oliver.”

 

“It is,” spit Zeus, as moved surged forward, his face inches from hers, his body vibrating with fury. “Gods do not love. Oliver does not love you. He believes he does. As he did all those millenniums ago,” Zeus spoke, bitterness colouring his voice. “But he does not. He cannot love. He can scarcely understand it. He may lust after you,” the look of disdain crossing his face, as Zeus looked her up and down, “but he does not love you. He may truly want to protect you. Protect you from Hades. But he does not love you.”

 

“Is this your plan?” Felicity fired back. “To scare me off? To shake my belief in Oliver? To make me question him?” rage seeping into her voice as she stepped forward, causing Zeus to take a step back. “It’s not going to work. You can’t scare me off. I’ve heard the legends, Zeus. I know of the stories that have trickled down through history that us mere mortals believed were myths about you. You do not frighten me,” Felicity sounded, adrenaline pumping through her veins, not knowing where this strength, this fire, this fearless, in her was coming from, but harnessing it all together to rebuff Zeus’s line of questioning.

 

Felicity saw the fire within Zeus’s pale blue eyes burn even brighter as he stormed towards her, backing her into a wall. She could feel the fury, the disgust, and hate roll off his body as he caged her in with his arms. His body towered over hers. She frowned when she saw his face shimmer, flickering, becoming a haze as he looked into her eyes.

 

Shock ran through her body, as the face in front of her became a clear.

 

It was Aphrodite stood in front of her and not Zeus.

 

“It’s a good thing that you don’t fear Zeus. Everything that is to come will pale in comparison to what Zeus could do,” Aphrodite retorted viciously, her face disfigured by pure hate and anger. “It’s really me you should fear,” she smirked maliciously.

 

Felicity felt the air around her disappear as she struggled to breathe. Darkness began encroaching on the edges of her vision, as she stood frozen under Aphrodite’s murderous glare. She fought to move but her muscles did not listen to her mind’s commands. She felt like her lungs had begun to fill with lead, as she laboured to breathe. Her mind was screaming at her to fight, to keep breathing, to stay awake, but it felt harder and harder, as her breathing became shorter and shorter. She felt her body begin to sink, her hand finally moving as she grabbed a hold of something in front of her dragging it down with her, as the darkness completely invaded her vision.

 

**…**

 

 

Oliver paced across the throne room as he continued to explain to Zeus and Poseidon everything that Aphrodite had told him about her suspicions of Ares working with Hades. Logically, the suspicions against Ares were valid to a certain degree. Ares and Hades powers and interests had always overlapped. Ares working with Hades to overthrow Zeus and further his position and power within Olympus was out of the realm of possibility. They knew that a mole, one that had access to the highest echelons of power was feeding information to Hades. They just could not figure who it was yet.

 

“We have no other choice but to find Hope,” voiced Poseidon, Zeus nodding in agreement. “We must have a way to combat the evils in the box if they were to be released.”

 

“You’re sealing her fate then,” Oliver shouted angrily, trying to impede the onslaught of memories flooding his mind of finding Felicity broken and bleeding, breath leaving her body as he spoke the words he had hidden from her for so long and the fear of losing her once again.

 

“We are not, Oliver,” Poseidon responded calmly. “Having Hope does not seal Felicity’s fate. It’s a precaution. A precaution we must take in order to protect all of us, including Felicity,” he quietly implored right before his speech was interrupted.

 

The doors to the throne room tore open as a whoosh of air rushed in, disrupting the robes worn by Zeus and Poseidon.

 

Athena stood with Hermes at her side as tears marred her eyes, and a look of worry and devastation graced her face.

 

Oliver felt like the ground beneath him disappeared as he looked into his sister’s eyes. Dread filled him, as he stood frozen, unable to move under Athena’s apologetic gaze.

 

“Athena,” Poseidon called out, drawing her attention away from Oliver. “What is wrong?”

 

“Fel-Felicity,” Athena’s stuttered, “she’s missing. When I went to collect her from my chamber as Zeus ordered I found Apollo and Artemis incapacitated at the doors. I searched my entire chamber and could not find her. I’m sorry, Hephaestus.”

 

Anger and terror filled him as he stared down at the battle plans upon the table. His fists pounded against the table, the shockwaves shaking the entire room before flipping the table furiously on its side, cracking the marble table and the floor beneath it. Malevolent power flowed from his body as he tried to calm himself down.

 

“Hephaestus,” Zeus called quietly, trying to draw Oliver from his rage-induced trance. “We will find her.”

 

“Find her?” Oliver scoffed. “Find her?” his voice becoming agitated, his body trembling in fury. “We already know who has her. Some how Hades has gotten his hands on Felicity,” he bellowed. “I promised to protect her! I promised that she would be safe here! And now she’s missing,” agony filling his voice as he screamed at his father.

 

“We will find her, Hephaestus,” Zeus appealed.

 

“Did you find anything,” asked Poseidon, looking at Athena.

 

“This,” Athena announced, holding up a pendant necklace. “I think we know who the mole is,” the anger and betrayal clear her voice.

 

“I should’ve known,” spoke Oliver, stunned and angry, as he looked upon the pendant that Athena was holding. His gritted his jaw as his fists clenched. “I should’ve known,” he repeated, his head shaking, his thumb and forefinger rubbing against each other. He recognized the pendant immediately. She had not taken off that goddamn pendant since the day Zeus had presented it to her on their wedding day. The pendant belonged to Aphrodite.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always like hearing what you have to say so comment below. 
> 
> You can also find me on Twitter: @CiViiLy


	7. Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the end is finally here. Finally! Sorry it has taken me so long to post this chapter but getting into the right mind set, having the energy, and the uninterrupted time to write has been difficult to come by. 
> 
> I hope you have enjoyed this re-telling of the Pandora myth from an Olicity standpoint. I've enjoyed writing this fic immensely, as I hope you do reading it. This all started as a idea swirling around in my head that I finally put paper and now it ends. :)
> 
> All grammar mistakes are mine as this fic has no beta. 
> 
> Guide to the Gods:
> 
> Pandora = Felicity  
> Hephaestus = Oliver  
> Poseidon = Diggle  
> Epimetheus = Ray  
> Zeus = Robert  
> Hera = Moira  
> Hades = Malcolm  
> Athena = Thea  
> Hermes = Roy  
> Aphrodite = Laurel  
> Ares = Tommy  
> Nike = Sara

 

 

* * *

 

_He could see the ends of her red gown flicker between the trunks of the olive trees. The sound of her laughter flowed through the air, ringing in his ears, eliciting a smile on his face. He would never tire from such a sound. A sound that made his heart race, his blood flow steadily, and the light of happiness in his eyes glow forever more. Her happiness was his everything. He had vowed long ago that he would do whatever was in his power, whatever sacrifices, whatever was needed, to ensure that her laughter would never extinguish as long as there was breath in his body._

_His eyes drifted close as the floral scent that was intrinsically her drifted through the breeze, ensnaring him, as he moved closer and closer towards its source but never catching her. The delightful taunt of her laughter drew him from one side of the grove to the other as he continued to follow her. His body ached to feel hers pressed against his, for his hands to intertwine with hers, to feel the beat of her heart against his and see the mouth that he yearned to taste. His heart had never known this type of desire, this type of longing, and this type of temptation, until he had met her. She set his world on fire, exposing him to a world he had only ever heard of, a world that had been denied to him for so long until he stumbled into her life. She had ignited his heart, claimed his soul, and opened his eyes to what truly loving and being loved by another felt like._

_He felt her before his eyes could even see her, the patter of her feet against the earth never reaching his ears. His eyes shuttered closed as he felt her hand at the base of his spine. His breath hitched as a trail of fire was left in the wake of her hand as she slowly moved it up his back. The heat from her body warmed that of his as she stepped closer to him. He ached to feel her arms wrap around him and feel the beat of her heart against his body. A soft whimper leaving his lips as her fingers continued on their path._

_The movement of her hand stopped as softly as it started._

_He felt her soft breath against his neck as her fingers began tracing intricate patterns across the blades of his shoulders. His joy from the pressure of her body against his did not dampen the longing of his needs to see her, to hold her, and to press his lips against hers. It only made the fire that burned in his veins for her glow ever brighter. He craved to see the light and happiness that glowed within her cerulean eyes, a reflection of his own._

_The feel of her lips pressed against the back of his neck jolted open his eyes. The simple touch of her lips against his bare skin made his heart race and pound so loudly underneath his chest that he was certain the sound had reached her ears._

_“Hephaestus,” he heard her whisper against his neck, his name a question, an answer, an order, a plea, and a benediction all tied together in a single word formed from her lips._

_He could not deny her request, his body acquiescing to her command as he turned around to face her, a face that he had yearned so long to see. The sight that met his eyes sparked the soft smile he only reserved for her. She glowed in the evening light. He thought her beautiful the first time they had met but the vision of her standing in front of him would put Helen of Troy to shame. There was no human on Earth more precious and beautiful than her._

_The words leapt from his tongue before the thought even reached him mind._

_“I love you,” he whispered, pulling her into his arms, his forehead dropping onto hers. This is where he wished to remain for the rest of eternity, with her in his arms, their bodies pressed against one another, their hearts beating as one._

_“As I love you, Hephaestus,” her reply so soft but so clear._

_The smile on his face grew even wider than before. His lips moved to her forehead, placing a kiss over her wondrous mind, as his arms tightened around her._

_He never wanted to let her go._

_The sound of her retching broke the silence as he felt her body began to shake beneath his arms. Terror filled his veins as his hands quickly trailed down her arms to see what was amiss. Her hands gripped his forearms until her knuckles were white as her face flushed red. Breath struggling from her lungs as blood began to spill from her lips._

_“He-He-He-Hephaestus,” she spoke, as his mind went blank with ways to help her._

_His head swayed from side to side as his breath quickened and fear engulfed his body._

_“No, no, no,” falling from his lips, as the fear in her eyes reflected that of his._

_His arms came around her, catching her, as her knees gave way._

_“Pandora,” he beseeched, as more blood spilled from her mouth. “Pandora! Pandora! PANDORA!”_

**_\---_ **

_Screams and the stench of blood and charred flesh filled the air as his body shot up from the ground. Sweat drenched his body as his chest surged, trying desperately to draw breath into his body. Her named lingered on the tip of his tongue as the tendrils of his nightmare lingered in his mind. He would never escape her death. It was determined to follow him for eternity for failing to protect her like he had vowed so long ago._

_His body ached, bloodied and bruised from battle, as he heaved his body off the broken earth and surveyed the devastation that surrounded him. Bodies lay broken and bloodied all over the earth. Fires engulfed the bush and trees, the wavering smoke choking his breath._

_The evils released from the box ravaged the Earth bringing about death and destruction never before seen. Strife and war ran rampant in all its corners, as the evils spread, gaining strength in every life lost. The evils were more sinister than they had been lead to believe. They did not just spread turmoil and chaos and leave a wake of death and destruction behind. No, the evils bred more evil. It infected mortals, clawed their way into their bodies and minds, and rendered their free will obsolete like a plague._

_Every evil they slayed was made of mortal flesh._

_Every evil they slayed held a beating heart beneath their chest._

_Every evil they slayed was someone’s parent, someone’s child, someone’s beloved._

_The thundering screams of Poseidon jarred him from his delirious state as he saw one of these infected mortals charge at him._

_His blade impaled into its chest. Its blood dripping onto his hand as he withdrew his sword before quickly swinging it another infected, beheading him in one swing. He had no moment’s breath as a horde of infected rushed towards him._

_Anger and vengeance burned through his veins as he continued to slay infected after infected. He moved with a speed and ferocity that was unequalled by mortal or god._

_He had no mercy. He had no fear. He had little care for anything as his body moved with graceful accuracy as he slaughtered every obstacle that came into his path._

_The ground beneath his feet shook as thundering black clouds rolled across the blood red sky. The whispers of pained cries carried through the wind, as more carnage of mortal life was wrought._

_His mind was numb as he continued to force his blade through more and more bodily flesh, moving farther and farther down the dirt path between the burning trees._

_He was tasked with one mission, one task, to find hope. Without hope the earth and its mortals would languish under the evils of the box. Withering away until nothing was left._

_It was why he was here. Here on the island of Lian Yu. Here on the island of purgatory, searching for hope._

_The sound of arrows and blades meeting soft, supple, bodily flesh filled the air as Athena and Hermes ran in front of him, laying waste to another horde of infected._

_He felt his strength waning as he moved farther and farther down the path, amassing more blood on his hands, as his eyes remained deathly vacant of all emotion. He was a shell of what the god he once was. Exhaustion has soaked through to his bones. Weariness and devastation flowed through him, as pain and grief gripped his heart._

_The darkness was slowly seeping into to him, swirling around him, calling him to it. He did not know how much longer he could resist its lure. His fortitude was clinging by a mere thread. The appeal of the darkness was potent, to loose oneself in it. To feel no pleasure, no pain, no heartache, no past nor present nor future, enticed him greatly. His head swam with such thoughts as he sliced through another infected as he reached the mouth of the cave, shrouded in decaying foliage, at the center of the island._

_An eerie light shone from the cave as he stepped closer to its opening, bathing him a warmth her had not felt in so long. He was entranced by the light, a small smile materializing as he walked through its mouth, his weapons and shield dropping to the ground. The sight that met him was not anything he had expected. His exhaustion and pain seemed to melt away as he looked upon the source of the light. His breathing hitched as his eyes widened from the vision in front of him._

_The source of the light was a small child, a little girl. A little girl with blond hair that glowed like the sun, blue eyes that shimmered like the stars, flower spun through the dress she wore, and a mischief smile that elicited one from himself. Tears sprung from his eyes as he moved closer to her, his hand held out to her on instinct. The little girl laughed, a sound he had not heard in so long, as she moved closer to him._

_His body sparked the moment her hand touched his. A burst of light emanated from her, throwing him against the hard wall of the cave, cracking the stone. His vision blurred and darkened as he sat crumpled on the cold wet floor._

_Her playful smile the last thing he saw before his vision completely darkened._

  

**…**

 

The chill of the night air crawled up her spine, as she stood shrouded in the darkness of the ancient olive trees that surrounded her, silently waiting for his arrival.

The faint whispers of voices and laughter from the nearby homes drifted in the air around her. A wedding reception was taking place. A celebration of love and joy that seemed to be bursting from it seams.

A scowl grew on her face while disgust clouded her eyes as the sounds continued to filter through her ears.

She despised such sounds. She despised that others could revel in such sounds while she was trapped here in the darkness, alone. She was the one who was supposed to laugh. She was the one who was supposed to banter with those that adored her. She was the one that was supposed to be loved as that bride was. Her hands tightly clenched and unclenched as she tried to control the anger that was beginning to flow through her.

Soon.

Soon she would hear such sounds, such laughter, and such love, all for her. Soon the world would be at her mercy. Soon the happiness of all the mortals on earth would be in her control. She could not wait. She could not wait to feel such love, such power, such glory, once again.  

Her heart was sent a flutter at such a thought. She would once again command the adoration of all, just like she had eons ago.

She was more than ready to be at the center of attention once again.

A devilish smile played on her lips as she stared at the unconscious body lay at her feet. Soon she would rid of the annoyance that was Felicity Smoak once and for all. She knelt down to the body, her hand trailing against the golden hair of the woman who had taken so much of what was rightfully hers. Her hand tightened against the fallen strands of Felicity’s hair. All she had to do was bring her hand down to her neck and snap it with a flick of her wrist. It would be so easy to end her mortal life. The temptation to do so was growing the longer she had to wait for Hades arrival.

“Do not even think about it,” Hades ordered, his icy voice surrounding her as fog rolled around her feet, forcing her to move back from Felicity’s body. “She’s infinitely more valuable to me than you are.”

“Hades,” Aphrodite responded, her nostrils flaring, spine straightening, “took you long enough. I thought I was going to have to do this all by myself.”

Hades hollow laugh echoed in the air.

“Like you could pull anything off near this kind of calibre,” Hades sneered. “Do not fool yourself, Aphrodite. You are not the one who is in control here. I am,” he said as he stalked towards her. “You best not forget that,” his face mere inches from her face, the threat clear in his voice.

A frisson of fear slides through her as she looked into the darkness of Hades eyes. Her breath quickening as she saw her death and destruction glowing in the inky irises. The shadows that emanated from Hades caged her as she was struck with a shortness of breath and the feeling of flames flickering at her feet.

Hades smirked as he withdrew from her personal space, the heat and shortness of breath disappearing as suddenly as it had begun.

“What are we doing here,” she questioned Hades, as she looked upon the ancient olive grove that Hades had commanded her to come to after she had stolen Felicity from Olympus.

“We are here because this is where it all started,” Hades indicated, pointing to the area encircling them. “This is where it all began. This is where Pandora unleashed the evils trapped within the box. This is where the end of this world is going to begin once again,” his voice filling with a delight as the continued to speak and marvel at the expanse around them.

“So we are here because you had a craving for nostalgia,” Aphrodite questioned sardonically. “You do remember that the last time Zeus was the victor, right? It was he that captured the evils and returned them to the box,” her arms crossed against her chest, eyes narrowing at Hades. “I cannot believe you brought us to the same place that Zeus will be sure to look for us once he realizes that she,” pointedly stabbing her finger at Felicity’s unconscious body, “is missing!”

“It was not Zeus that captured the evils and returned them to the box,” Hades replied numbingly. “Zeus doled out orders to others while he sat safely on his throne on Olympus,” spat Hades. “Just like you did, if you could remember correctly, while others fought his battle for him. No, Zeus did not capture the evils and trapped them in the box. No, it was Hephaestus that did so. It was he who found Elpis and with her help restored the evils to the box. I had really hoped that Hephaestus would turn against his father and join us,” voiced Hades, disappoint underlying his voice as he strode around Aphrodite. “I am betting that Zeus and Hephaestus show their faces here.”

“You are just rambling, Hades. You have yet to explain why you ordered that I bring her here and wait for you,” her voice frustrated and tense as she glared at Hades.

“We are here because we need dear Ms. Smoak here to open the box. The box will not open for her if it senses that she is under duress. If we try to force her in any way to open the box, it will remain sealed,” Hades stated.

“Then how are we supposed to open it,” Aphrodite deadpanned.

“Love of course. Love is the most powerful emotion in existence. It’s eternal, it cannot be extinguished, it overcome all obstacles, and can withstand any form of punishment. Love can defeat the box’s safeguards,” Hades knowingly spoke, a smirk appearing on his face as he turned to face Aphrodite. “You should know that considering you are the goddess of love,” Hades huffed, his annoyance of her shining through. “And we know who Felicity Smoak loves more in this world than anyone else,” his head cocking to the side, a grin swallowing his face as his eyes sparkled in fanatical delight.

 

**…**

 

The sound of a table crashing into the marble wall, shattered into hundreds of pieces, shadowed the piercing scream that had erupted seconds before. He stood deathly still, body tense, as the reverberations of his cries echoed around the room.

Chaos surrounded him as glass, stone, and wood lay a strewn across the ground.

His shoulders slumped in defeat as tears began to fall from his eyes, joining the destruction that lay at his feet. Where rage, frustration, and vengeance had inhibited minutes before guilt and terror began to slowly seep into his body. His back stood starkly rigid, as his emotions continued to war within, droplets of blood falling from his hands.

The shattered mirror showed him a reflection of the broken god he had become.

He felt like the world was closing in on him as he struggled to pull air into his body as the images of her smiling face assaulted his mind and the images of her cold dead body followed.

He had promised to protect her. He had promised to keep her safe. He had promised that history would not repeat itself. Yet, he stood at the top of Olympus without her by his side.

He stood paralyzed, unable to move, unable to breath, unable to feel anything but the chill that had doused his body the moment he realized she had been taken.

He had failed.

He had failed, again.

He failed her once again.

He had lost her just like before.

His eyes shuttered closed as a raw sob tore free of his chest.

He did not know how he ended up here once again, a broken-hearted desolate shell of a god. He had hoped against hope that the Fates would grant him more than a mere moment of happiness, a mere moment of love. But it seemed to be for naught. His search for her had been futile. Wherever Aphrodite had spirited her away to, no god or goddess could find her.

A deluge of grief washed over him. More powerful, more painful, more encompassing than he had felt before, extinguishing whatever hope was left in him. His body visibly deflated at the realization.

“Oliver,” he heard Poseidon call out quietly behind him, sorrow seeping into his voice, “Zeus requests your presence.”

A hollow broken laugh sprung from him, his hand erasing the tears that had fallen on his face.

“He would not allow me even a moments of reprieve, a moment of remembrance,” he snorted, his voice full of disbelief. “He will not even allow me a moment to mourn,” he spat, his voice full of venom. “But when has he ever? When has he ever cared about anyone but himself?”

“Oliver,” Poseidon responded, his hand clasping Oliver’s shoulder. “We will find her. We will get to her in time,” his assurance ringing so clear in Oliver’s ear.

“I promised that I would protect her, that I would keep her safe. I promised that I would not fail her again,” his frustration and anger bubbling to the surface as his clenched fists rose to his face, throwing Poseidon’s hand off his shoulder. “I failed,” he screamed. “I failed her,” his arms falling to this sides, his voice full of defeat. “I can’t even find her. I have searched every corner of this earth looking for her, and nothing! There is no trace of her anywhere! I can’t believe I los her again,” he cried.

“We will find her, Oliver. Trust me, we will help you find her. The box has yet to be opened. You can still save her. You have not failed her,” Poseidon stated. “Come,” his hand pulling on Oliver’s shoulder ever gently. “We must see what Zeus desires. Then we will set up search parties and scour the earth for her once again. We will not rest until she is safely returned to your arms. I promise.”

Oliver could sense the unease and anxiety that swam between the battle-ready faces of the gods and goddesses that sat upon their gilded thrones the moment he entered the room. He could laugh as he felt the wave of their concern break through their masks that they wore with such rigidity. Concern for only themselves.

They were scared. They were all scared.

Fear had engulfed all of them, including the one person who had the most to lose.

The cracks in Zeus façade were finally starting to show.

“Hephaestus,” sounded Zeus, the tremble underlying his voice barely noticeable.

“Father,” Oliver responded, his voice void, his eyes empty as he stared into his father’s eyes seeing all he needed to see, all that he wanted of him. “You wish for me to find hope once more?” he sighed.

“Your search for Felicity does not need halt, Hephaestus. All we ask is that you prioritize the search for hope ahead of Felicity for the time being,” Zeus spoke, his voice calm and pervasive.

Unfortunately for Zeus, his persuasive allure had never worked on his son.

“I will lead the search for hope on two conditions, father.”

“Name them,” Zeus quickly answered.

“When this is all over. When I have found hope. When we have found Felicity. When we have slaughtered Hades. I ask that you strip away my immortality. Relieve me of this curse of an everlasting life, kill me.”

“Hephaestus,” cried Hera, jumping from her throne. “Do not do this,” she protested. “Do not ask this of your father. Please,” her hands grabbing onto his arms.

“What is your other condition,” questioned Zeus, the objections of Poseidon, Athena, and Hermes falling on deaf ears.

“You remove any trace of us, of her past life, of _me_ from Felicity’s memory and ensure that neither you or any other god or goddess interferes in her life ever again,” Oliver’s voice brokering no room for arguments, staring directly into Zeus’s eyes. “We have brought enough danger into her life. I will not allow that to happen again.”

“I accept your conditions, Hephaestus,” answered Zeus over a chorus of discontent from the other gods and goddesses, no emotion showing on the face of the Father of all Gods.

A brief nod was all the acknowledgment that Oliver could musters before walking away from room and everything he had ever known.

**\---**

It did not take long to find hope. The effervescence of happiness and humanity that he had felt over a millennium surged through him as he walked through the dense forest.

Hope was close.

The light began to fade as the sun set, darkening the forest giving it an eerily haunting and familiar atmosphere.

The conditions he asked of his father echoed through his mind as the sound of crunching leaves and branches beneath his feet traveled around him.

His immortality had become a curse, a punishment, after the loss of Pandora. He continued to live a life, a hollow life free from happiness and love, a life he no longer wanted, a life he could no longer stomach.

Felicity deserved more. She deserved happiness. She deserved love. She deserved a family, children. She deserved a life where she was not constantly in danger. She deserved a life where she could accomplish all her dreams. She could not have those things with him. He was a danger to her. He would always be a danger to her life, drawing in forces beyond either of their controls.  

The relief of knowing that the end was near, that everything would be all over soon, gave him a freedom he had not felt in so long. He longed to sleep, a peaceful sleep, not haunted by the many mistakes that he had made. He ached to dream, to see her smiling face, to feel her soft skin, to hear her laugh once more.

His senses heightened the moment he stepped into the small clearing. Something was off. The feeling of dread coursed through him just before the ground began to tremble.

He did not know what was happening until it was too late. The ground split beneath his feet, swallowing him. The vision of dark crystals surrounding him was the last thing he saw before blackness took over.

 

**…**

 

Hades looked upon the poor sap bound to the chair in front of him. He knew he should feel sorry for the fellow, even a tiny inkling of remorse, but all he felt with the bubbling of excitement beneath his skin.

Capturing Ray Palmer had been a surprisingly simple task. For a man of such wealth and intelligence, he really had no sense of security or well-being. The task of capturing Palmer was deemed menial by his best hunter, Orion, who had oversaw the apprehension. Orion had not even dropped a tear of sweat in his mission.

Palmer would be the ace in his pocket when it came to finally removing the throne Zeus sat upon, a throne that was rightfully his. He was so close to accomplishing his goal. He could feel the power of the throne pulsing through his veins. The end was near and his new beginning as the God of all gods was within reach.

Nothing and no one would stop him. Whatever it took, whatever the cost, he would pay to be seated on the throne that rightfully belonged to him. That should have been his since they had defeated the titans. While Poseidon took the seas, Zeus had squirmed his ways to the heavens, securing Olympus before he even had a change to stake his claim. He had been left with the darkness, the despair, and death that ran rampant in the Underworld.

But soon they would all bow at his feet.

The sound of groaning drew him from his silent musings, as Palmer awoke from his involuntary slumber.

“Welcome, Mr. Palmer,” a grin growing on Hades face.

“Mr. Merlyn? Why am I here,” asked a panicked Palmer, squirming like a freshly caught trout.

“You are here, Mr. Palmer,” Hades responded as he watched Palmer’s eyes widen in shock as a chair miraculously appeared in front of him, “because I need something from you. Well, I actually need you to do something for me,” he said, tipping his head to the side before taking a seat on the chair, smiling a sickening grin picking off non-existent lint from his pants. “You have powers, dormant ones actually, that allow you to do something that very few are able to do in this world. See, you are part titan, part god. Your true name is Epimetheus. You, unfortunately, were the brother of Prometheus. Prometheus had some dissenting ideas from those on Olympus, great ideas but faulty executions. Got himself into a wee bit of trouble with the almighty Zeus. He ended up strapped to a stone and had his innards clawed out by a giant bald eagle,” Hades laughed, before his face turned stone cold. “What I am trying to saw, Mr. Palmer, is that you have powers. Powers, which make any weapon you, capable of terminating any god. And I need you to do just that.”

A look of pure panic and confusion crossed Palmer’s face as he stared at Hades before speaking, “Pardon my manners, Mr. Merlyn, but are you delusional?”

Hades laughed before standing from his seat. “No, Mr. Palmer,” a grin stretching across his face, “I am not delusional. I’m just trying to achieve my goals. But let me prove to you that I’m not. Just for fun, shall we,” his hands plunging into Palmer’s chest.

Violet coloured light glowed from Hades hand as his fingers wrapped around Palmer’s heart. An ancient chant tumbled from Hades’ lips as the light started to snake around Palmer’s body. His eyes bulging from their sockets as chocking sounds echoed across the room. The light shadowed Palmer’s entire body, becoming opaque, before draining into the ground around him.

“How do you feel, Mr. Palmer?”

“Powerful,” snarled Palmer, his eyes completely darkened.

“Good,” sounded a delighted Hades. “Now lets see what we can do in protecting your beloved, shall we,” Hades asked, sweeping his hand towards a darkened corner of the room. Showing Palmer an unconscious Felicity strapped to a chair.

 

**…**

 

His head throbbed as he came to, a chill running through his body as his muscles burned with strain. His parched throat cried for a drop of water as his eyes surveyed the scene around him. Wherever he was, he was underground, separated from the word above. Jagged dark crystal stalagmite formations surrounded him in a circle, blocking any path of escape. They grew all over the dark cave, from the ground, the walls, and the roof. Some were at least a dozen feet tall in height. The only source of light was a soft eerie green glow drifting from a pool of water just beyond the reach of the stalagmites imprisoning him.

The entire cave unnerved him. The feeling of dread and despair coated the walls as the sound of trickling water filtered through the cave.

All of his weapons had been stripped from him. His bow and arrows, his long swords, and daggers had all disappeared. His body no longer held any of the armour that he had left Olympus with, not even the invisible armour gifted by Athena remained.

He was vulnerable and completely defenseless.

Only one person had the power capable of perpetrating such actions. Only person would go to this amount of trouble to get to him. And that person wasn’t even a person. He was a god, the God of the Underworld.

The sound of rocks sliding against each other rumbled through the cave, a soft constant reverberation through his ears. His body tensed in anticipation of Hades arrival. He had no idea what to expect from Hades but he knew that Hades brought nothing but destruction and despair with him.

He watched as the stalagmites imprisoning him slide into the ground below, creating a small exit for him. A beckoning clang sounded somewhere beyond his field of sight.

The clanging, metal against metal, grows louder and louder as he walks down the rocky uneven path. The staccato sound of the ringing matched the rhythmic beat of his heart.

His body tensed, his fist clenched knuckle white, as he saw a small opening up ahead.

A rush of cold air washed over his body as he stepped through the opening. The only source of light filling the large cavernous room was a single shaft of light pouring through the oculus at the top. The walls of the cave were rough limestone. The floors were made of marginally smoother limestone.

As his eyes quickly adjusted to the light in the cave, what he saw at the other end was the one person he least expected.

“Palmer,” stated Oliver, his eyebrows crinkling in confusion as he looked upon the man that he had met once in Felicity’s office, the man that looked exactly like Epimetheus. “What are you doing here,” he asked, as he stepped closer to the center of the cavern towards a man he once perceived of as his worst enemy. It was then he noticed Palmer’s stance, the feral look of anger on his face, his completely blackened eyes, and the blades in his hands. Hades had done something to Palmer, turning him from a dull mild mannered man into something he could only describe as a beast-like.

“He’s been waiting for you,” Hades bodiless voice boomed through the cave. “Welcome, Hephaestus,” the threat clear in Hades’ voice. “We’ve been awaiting your arrival.”

“Why am I here, Hades,” Oliver demanded, his voice cold, calculated, as he continued to stare unblinkingly at Palmer.

“The reason you are here, Hephaestus, is because I do not think Mr. Palmer received a fair chance to win Ms. Smoak’s heart. So I’m here to right that wrong. Mr. Palmer is here to challenge you to a duel for Felicity Smoak’s heart,” responded Hades, as he appeared in a cloud of dark mist in the center of the cavern. “And I am to be the judge of the outcome,” a dark wicked entering his cold blue eyes.

While Oliver did not know what Hades had planned he knew that the duel was only a disguise. Hades cared for no one but himself and Palmer was another one of his pawns in the game to take Zeus’ throne. He wanted none of it.  

“What if I refuse?”

“I thought you might say that, Hephaestus. So I brought along a little incentive for both you and Mr. Palmer,” Hades retorted, waving his hand as Felicity and Aphrodite materialized at his side. “If you refuse to enter the duel with Mr. Palmer, I will have dear Aphrodite slit Ms. Smoak’s beautiful neck from here to here,” his hand marking the path that Aphrodite would take against Felicity’s neck. “And I will make you watch as the woman you love bleed out in front of your eyes. It will be quite a spectacle. I know Aphrodite has been chomping at such a chance. She’s quite a, envious little thing, isn’t she, the Goddess of Love?” a cold smile growing on Hades’ face as he laughed.

Oliver’s jaw tightened till the point that his jaw would have broken if he had not been a god. His breathing quickened, as did his heart, as he watched Felicity struggle against Aphrodite’s hold. He ached to slaughter Hades and squeeze the light from Aphrodite’s eyes but he had no way of doing so without putting Felicity in fatal harm.

“I accept Palmer’s challenge.”

“Good,” sounded a delighted Hades as he clapped his hands. “Come now, Aphrodite,” Hades ordered as he walked to a side of the cavern that held a small platform, three chairs magically appearing for Felicity, Aphrodite, and he to be seated. Vines sprung from the ground, completely trapping Felicity against the chair the moment all three were seated properly.

“As you can see, Mr. Palmer has already chosen his weapons. Behind you is an arsenal from which you may choose two weapons. I would choose wisely. They will determine your fate,” Hades paused, “and the fates of so many others.” 

His gaze lingered on the weapons in front of him. Many of the weapons he had once forged with his bare hands in his hearth on Olympus. His hands reached for the blades that he had been carrying when Hades had captured him. They had always been his weapons of choice. The hilts moulded to his hands, the blades sharpened against the ancient stones of his workshop, they were the weapons he had carried into every battle.

He rolled his shoulders as he turned towards Palmer, preparing himself to defeat the man that dared take Felicity away from him.

The clang of a klaxon sounded as he watched Palmer surged at him, running full speed from the other side of cave. He dodged many of initial Palmer’s attacks. Every time Palmer struck, Oliver would strike back, twice harder. They moved across the wide expanse of the circular ground of the cave, circling each other as Palmer continued to strike.

Oliver had yet to raise his weapons in attack, only in defense. He watched Palmer move, watched the swing of his arms as he moved his swords, the arch of his back, the stance of his feet. The wild moves that marked Palmer’s attacks were evident that neither he nor his past life as Epimetheus had, had any influence of any type of combat training. What Palmer lacked in training was countered by the sheer force of power behind every one of his swings. Whatever Hades had done to Palmer, he had somehow returned Epimetheus’s titan-like strength to Palmer’s body.

The sound of blades smashing against one another was only shadowed by the sounds of flesh pounding against flesh. Grunts of pain filled the air as they continued to move around the cave. Oliver delivered decisive blows and kicks to Palmer’s body, as did Palmer against his own.

Oliver moved with precision when he saw the first signs of fatigue enter Palmer’s body. He had been waiting for this. Oliver had battled many a foe over his course as the God of Fire. He had never lost once and he was not about to lose now. Not with so much at stake.

He attacked. No mercy holding him back. His strikes were as, if not more powerful, than Palmer’s.

Every punch, every blow, every swing of his sword was aimed at ending Palmer’s life, ending this madness that his family had created all for the ability to sit on a goddamn throne and ensuring that no harm would ever come to Felicity again.

Sweat dripped from his body as he continued to stalk after Palmer. His heart pounded beneath his chest. The rush of blood filling his hears.

His sword swung towards Palmer just as Palmer swung his. Both their blades locked against each other as a smirk crawled across Palmer’s face, a glint of something clouded his already blackened eyes.

The blow to his knee was unexpected, knocking him to the ground as Palmer advanced towards him. He barley dodged the swing of Palmer’s blade as the sound of metal striking stone bounced off the walls. He rolled quickly away, getting onto his feet as swiftly as he could.

Palmer’s attacks came faster and more powerful as the continued to attack each other, still moving across the circle of the cavern.

The smell of copper blossomed under Oliver’s nose as one of his blades finally met Palmer’s flesh. Blood spattering against the stone floor, spilling for the wound that he had inflicted on Palmer’s thigh. A roar boomed from Palmer’s as he rushed toward Oliver, both blades swinging.

Both men continued to furiously assault each other, neither succumbing to their fatigue, neither letting up on the other.

A battle cry erupted from deep within Oliver as he drove one of his blades into Palmer’s left flank, warm blood coating his hand as he withdrew his sword. Palmer crumbled to the ground in front of him.

The duel was over. Oliver had defeated Palmer and was only steps away from destroying Hades and Aphrodite. A sigh of relief left his body as he turned towards where Felicity was being held captive.

The cry of his name from Felicity’s lips was the last thing he heard before a searing pain he had never felt before struck his body. He looked down to see a blade protruding from his abdomen, the tip tinged with his blood. For a moment, he felt like Chronos had stopped time. His body froze, his mind numb, his heart stopped. Just for a single moment before the pain came rushing back, scorching his body as his mind warned him that peril was imminent.

He drew in a breath before his eyes slipped shut, his body crumpling to the ground.

The sound of his knees cracking against the stone floor reverberated across the cavern.

 

**…**

 

Felicity felt her heart stop as she watched Ray’s blade pierce Oliver’s abdomen. Her breath caught in her chest as she watched Oliver slump to the ground, blood still seeping from his wound, the blade still encased within him.

She struggled against the vines confining her to the chair to no avail, her heart pounding, her breath quickened.

She needed to help him.

She needed to save him.

She could not lose him.

Her eyes darted to the man who she once believed to be Malcolm Merlyn, international entrepreneur, but in reality was someone who was far more sinister and dangerous than she ever believed. She watched as he rose from his seat and moved to Oliver’s side. She fought against the vines even harder, burning abrasions into her body, as Merlyn knelt beside Oliver, his hand moving towards Ray’s sword.

“NO!” she screamed, puncturing the silence of the cave as Merlyn yanked the blade from Oliver’s body. She struggled with all her might to get free. Tears spilling from her eyes as she watched as the blood that had only seeped from him wound bloom across his shirt.

“Oliver,” she cried, her voice gargled with anguish, trying to reach him, trying to get him to open his eyes to look at her, to tell her that he was okay, that he was still with her.

The vines that had caged her moments ago disappeared as quickly as they had appeared. She moved without thought, running towards Oliver, dropping to her knees beside his prone body and pressing her hand against the gapping wound on his torso as his blood flowing through her tightly clasped fingers.

“Oliver! Oliver,” she called out, trying to get him to respond as tears slipped from her eyes. “Oliver, please. Please open your eyes. Open your eyes for me,” her voice breaking as she pled, terror gripping her body.

A flood of emotions swept through her as she saw his eyes flutter before the bright blue eyes that she had carefully memorized, look into hers. All the moments they had shared, meeting, lunches, dinners, their first date, their first kiss, flashing through her mind.

“Oliver,” relief filling her voice, as a small smile grew on her face. The smile she only smiled for him.

“Hello, stranger,” Oliver responded, his voice soft, softer than she had ever heard it, as he moved his hand to her face. His hand softly cupping her face, his thumb wiping away the falling tears. Her heart warmed as she nuzzled into his hand, letting the heat of his hand, the feel of his skin, seep into hers. “It’s alright, Felicity. It’s alright, my love.”

She felt her chest clench painfully at his words, words he had never spoken to her before but words that felt so right spilling from his lips. Her bottom lip wobbled, as she pressed further into his palms, eyes clenching tight, tears continuing to fall, her hands applying more pressure against his wound.

She could not lose him. She had just found him. They had yet to have a chance to explore their relationship, the ups, the downs, the laughter, the tears, the sleepy Sunday mornings, the sultry summer nights. She wanted it all. She wanted with him. _Only him_.

“It’s alright,” Oliver’s voice softer and weaker then before, a tremor running through the fingers that softly stroked her cheek.

“No,” Felicity voiced, her heartbreaking. “Please, Oliver. Please don’t leave. Don’t let go. Not yet. Please. Just stay with me. Please! Stay with me!”

Blood continued to spill from Oliver’s wound, soaking the stone floor around her, bleeding into the fabric of her clothing. The paleness skin of his face, the clamminess of his hand, the growing trembles in his fingers were all signs that the sword that Ray had plunged into Oliver had done more damage than she thought possible. She did not understand how this was possible, how Ray could have wounded Oliver in such a way. Oliver was a Greek god, one of the most powerful and revered, an immortal being.

Her unspoken was answered quickly by the man that had helped orchestrate her kidnapping, Merlyn.

“You see Felicity, while gods like Oliver are immortal, we are not insusceptible to death. We are safe from the actions of mortals but not from each other,” Merlyn voiced, his demeanour laced with false care, as he slunk down beside her. So close to her that she could feel the darkness flow from him. Her breath slowed, her body tensed. “And Ray, well Ray like you had a past life, a past life as a titan, a being as powerful if not more than that of the gods. He had the ability to mortally wound Oliver,” Merlyn’s use of past tense made her look across to see the horrifying sight of Ray withering in agony as his skin began drying out like that of a mummy at a horrifying pace. “But you can save him, Felicity. You can save Oliver,” Merlyn mused. “All you have to do is open the box. Decrypt the laptop,” he said pointing to a laptop beside her that was not there moments before. “At the bottom of the box is Elpis. Hope, as you know it better. Elpis can heal Oliver. Elpis can heal the wounds of gods. All you have to do is open the box, Felicity. Open the box, Felicity,” Merlyn quietly commanded.

She eyed the laptop, the same laptop that Ray had brought her to decrypt, the same laptop that caused Oliver to reveal his true identity and hers. She knew there was a chance that Merlyn was lying and that decrypting the box would not save Oliver but there was also the chance that it could. She could feel the evil radiating from the laptop. Whatever force was in there was nothing pure evil and deadly. She had no idea of the consequences that could come from unleashing such a force, but she could save Oliver. _She could save him._

Her heart and mind warred against the other as she struggled to make her decision. For once her heart won out. She would do whatever it took to save him. She could not lose him. Not now. Not ever.

“Felicity, don’t,” Oliver whispered, his breathing stuttered, the pain surging through him clear in his eyes, but his voice stern and clear. “Do not open it,” he implored. “You cannot open that box. You must not open the box,” His hand on her face slightly tightening, the look of terror, pain, and loss so evident in his eyes. “If you open that box, you will die, Felicity. You will die. Just like you did last time,” his breathing becoming even softer as his eyes locked with hers. “You cannot open the box, Felicity. Promise me you won’t open that box,” he implored. “Promise me?”

“But it can save you,” she countered. “Merlyn says Elpis can save you. He says it can heal you!”

“Not at the cost of your life,” he responded, his head shaking at such a thought, his eyes softening, love filling his eyes as he looked at her. “Not at the cost of yours,” tears filling in his own eyes. “I lost you once already, Felicity. I can’t bear to live without you again. I lived in so much darkness, so much anguish, so much pain, for so long when I lost you. I cannot lose you. I cannot have you trade your life for me. I’d rather join you in death than remain for eternity without you,” stated Oliver.

“Oliver,” she whispered, her lips pressing into his palm.

“It’s okay, Felicity,” his voice now a mere whisper. “It’s okay to let go. You have so much more to look forward to in your life. So much more, my love,” his thumb wiping away her fallen tears. “So much I could not give you. So much I wish I could give you. I love you. I will always love you. You are my happiness, my light, my love,” he spoke softly, love filling eyes.

“I don’t want to let go,” her voice breaking, as more tears tumbled from her eyes as she stared into his. “I don’t want to let you go,” she whispered into his palm before she felt his hand slip from her face.

“Oliver,” she said, panic filling her heart. “Oliver! OLIVER,” she bellowed as she looked into his lifeless eyes. “Oliver,” she cried out, tears streaming from her eyes as she clutched his shirt in her palms, pleading for him to come back to her with every call of his name. “I love you.”

A pain she had never felt before tore through her, stopping her breath, wiping her mind, as she stared at the man who had stolen her heart before she had even realized it. She felt her body give out as she leaned over his body, his blood soaking her shirt. Her fingers trembled before stilling. She trailed her hand through his hair, tracing the lines in his forehead, her fingertips drifting across his eyelids, closing them shut. Her thumbs swept across the bones of his cheeks before running through his stubble before stopping at his lips. Lips, that she had barely kissed but that have given her so much joy, so much wonder, so much love. Lips, that with a glimmer of a smile captured her heart so unexpectedly.

She could still feel the warmth of his skin, the last beat of his heart, as her lips pressed against his, their last kiss. Her heart shuttered at the thought as her lips pulled away from his.

A blinding explosion of light erupted around them almost immediately.

A flood of blazing heat ripped through her body, engulfing every inch of her, as her palms landed on Oliver’s chest. She could hear the surprised cries of Aphrodite and Hades echo across the cavern as her body remained paralyzed over Oliver’s body. She did not know what was happening but she did not panic as she thought she would, she felt relieved, like a part of herself was emerging from within.

The light disappeared slowly, trickling slowly from their bodies, as Felicity quickly scanned the area around them looking for any reason as to what had just happened. She saw nothing.

It was the slight pressure against her palms caused her to look down. She watched, in utter amazement, as her hands slowly rose and fell. The characteristic cadence of a heart’s beat reverberated beneath her hand. A gasp of disbelief slipped from her lips as she witnessed the blue eyes that were lifeless moments ago look back into hers, breath and beat returning to her body.

“Oliver.”

 

**…**

 

The look of Felicity’s smiling face was something that he would never get used to seeing. It encapsulated everything he had hoped for but never thought he deserved, acceptance, beauty, happiness, salvation, peace, and love. So much love. He would pay any price to see her smiling face as the first sight he saw each day.

“Felicity,” he whispered, a smile growing on his own face as his thumb swept across her face, wiping away the fallen tears.

“Oliver,” Felicity answered relief filling her voice, a soft glow surrounding her body. “H-h-how? How? How,” she asked, confusion crinkling her brows as her palms pressed against his now completely healed wound.

“I don’t know,” Oliver answered. He could not explain it. Where moments ago he had felt a torturous pain ripping through his body, now he felt nothing but the pressure of Felicity’s hands against the spot where the blade had pierced his skin.

His hand swept down his cheek, across the blade of her shoulder, down her arm, until his fingers intertwined with hers. His eyes closed for just a moment as he rejoiced in the warmth of her skin seeping into his, proving that she was here, whether it was a dream or reality, she was here. She was here with him. For centuries he had been without her, living in anguish, in darkness, filled with so much guilt and regret. But now she was here and he could not help but smile and clutch her hand tighter. He never wanted to let her go. He never wanted to be parted from her.

The scent of her skin filled his nostrils as her body covered his. The heat of her body warming him even more, as her lips pressed a soft kiss against his forehead, leaving another one on the tip of his nose, before capturing his lips in hers.

Her lips, a soft cherry red, were lips that he had dreamt every night that he had been without her. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer into his body, keeping her bound to him as long as he could before they parted for oxygen, but not far. The weight of her body huddled against his as her forehead lay against his, their lips on centimeters apart, peace surrounding them.

But it did not last long as the slow clapping of hands broke their moment of peace.

“Bravo,” sounded Hades, his voice full of malice and bitterness, bouncing off the walls of the cave. “I guess love does win out, huh?” he said as he stalked towards where the two of them were lying. “I guess I’ll have to end the two of you the old fashioned way,” Hades announced, a golden sceptre materializing in his hand.

Oliver shifted his body in front of Felicity’s in response to Hades aggressive stance. An overwhelming surge of protectiveness roared through his body at the thought of Hades harming Felicity, a growl slipping from his throat as he braced his body for an attack.

The sound of a thunderclap and fracturing stone rocked through the cave, as dust and debris fell around the before either god could make a move.

The scene the met Oliver’s eyes as he opened them as he lifted his body, which had sheltered Felicity in the quake, stunned him. In front of him stood Poseidon, Athena, Hermes, and Zeus, all fitted in head to toe battle armour, weapons raised and pointed at Hades.

“Enough,” bellowed Zeus, a predatory look colouring his face. “You’ve caused enough trouble Hades,” Oliver heard his father say before a thunderbolt left his hand, aimed for Hades.

The crackling of thunder filled the cavern as Zeus and Hades battled against one another. Hades deflected every one of Zeus’s thunderbolts with a wave of his sceptre.

More rocks and debris fell around them as Oliver pulled Felicity and himself off the floor, as Athena and Hermes moved swiftly to them, creating a barrier between them and the battle in front of them.

“Where’s Poseidon,” Oliver asked, searching for the god that had counselled him for over a millennia.  

“Finding the little slippery viper, herself,” responded Athena, her voice venom filled. “There,” she pointed towards the exit of the cavern where Poseidon had trapped Aphrodite in a waterspout. “Let’s see her try to slip out of that. She’ll looks like a washed out rat when Poseidon frees her from it,” Athena laughed.

The sliver of happiness was broken as bodies began materializing meters away from them.

“Hades Undead Army, I believe,” Hermes stated, as he deflected one of Zeus’s thunderbolts with his shield that had gone off course. “Prepare yourselves. They do not wither easily,” he warned before running towards a horde of them.

“Athena,” Oliver shouted, causing his sister to look back at him, a knowing look exchanged between the two of them as Oliver picked up his fallen blades. A nod the only acknowledgement that she had understood his intentions, he would not leave Felicity’s side.

“Stay close,” Oliver ordered, as he felt Felicity press into him.

Oliver struck down every undead that came near them as Poseidon, Athena and Hermes annihilated the many more of Hades undead that had risen from the ground. The battle was fierce. With every horde of undead obliterated, another rose in its place. The bodies turning into ash the moment they were struck.

The sound of rushing water, metal meeting flesh, and thunder reverberated across the cavern. There seemed to be no end to the battle before them.

Oliver felt an unnatural heat emanating from behind him. He turned around in shock to see Felicity surrounded in a cocoon of bright light.

“Felicity?” his eyes widened in fear.

The detonation light blinded him as a shockwave of energy and light swept across the entire cave, wiping out every undead, sweeping every one of them off their feet.

Silence and the sound of heavy breathing enveloped the cave as Oliver’s vision finally returned.

“Felicity,” Oliver called out in a panic, his eyes searching for her in the mass of debris that had accumulated all around them, his eyes spotting an unharmed Athena and Hermes.  

“Over here,” Felicity responded, her voice shaken, as she stood trembling, her body still slightly aglow. “What just happened?”

Hades snarl rumbled through the cavern as he struggled within the chains that ensnared him to the wall.

“It seems,” Zeus retorted, a twitch of a smirk appearing on his lips, “Felicity has finally unlocked the true potential of her powers.” He indicated by pointing the decimated ashes of Hades Undead Army, a chained up Hades and unconscious Aphrodite.

“Powers?” Felicity replied, eyes widening.

“Yes, my dear,” a full grin breaking out on Zeus’s face. “Powers.”

 

**…**

 

The rolling clouds just beyond the glass of the floor-to-ceiling window made her feel like she was in a dream, floating among the clouds high in the sky. Everything around her glowed, the sunlight reflecting against the marble white floors of the great hall outside the throne room. This is what she always imagined heaven looked like. The reality of the setting was a different experience entirely.

Her thumb swept back and forth against the knuckles of Oliver’s hand as they awaited Zeus’s invitation to enter. She didn’t know who needed the calming gesture more, Oliver or her. They had returned to Olympus after Zeus had banished Hades to Tartarus joining the rest of the Titans, where he was to remain imprisoned till the end of time completing punishment after punishment like those who had dared defy Zeus before him. Zeus had then sequestered himself, Hera, and Poseidon in the throne room to come to a decision on the fate of Aphrodite, and more importantly herself.

Her mind was still swirling at a manic pace as she tried to come to terms with the idea of having powers. Zeus had not fully explained to her how she had such powers or where they had come from or how long they would last. So many questions filled her head that all she could do was close her eyes and lay her head against Oliver’s shoulder, trying to block everything out but the feel of his warm skin against hers. His touch had always offered her a sense of comfort and security that she had never experienced with anyone else.

She did not know how long the two of them sat together, holding onto each other, both fearful to let the other one ago. The fear of losing one another was still palpable. The two of them would face whatever judgement Zeus decreed together. Nothing could tear them apart now. Not now. Not after everything they had gone through.

“You need to relax,” Oliver whispered teasingly into her ear.

“That’s rich coming from you, you know,” Felicity retorted, a flicker of a smile appearing on her lips as she noticed his thumb and forefinger rubbing against each other.

“I’m always a little nervous around you,” he replied, his lips a hair’s breathe away from her neck. “Butterflies everywhere.”

“I know what you’re trying to do, mister.”

“What am I trying to do?” Oliver answer, acting as innocent as he could as his lips made contact with her neck.

“You know,” she smiled, her eyes shuttering, her body drinking in the feel of his lips against her bare skin.

“I have no idea what you are insinuating, Ms. Smoak,” Oliver said, his lips continuing their sensual assault, stopping at the juncture where her shoulder met neck.

“Oliver,” Felicity admonished, the smile on her face only growing in size.

“Felicity,” spoke Oliver, his finger tipping her chin towards him. He looked at her, his eyes full of happiness, of hope, of love before he pressed his lips to hers.

The tightness in her chest unfurled as her arms encircled him. She could not help but give all of herself to the feel of his skin against hers. The fire, the excitement, the love, the sensuality, that his touch elicited was nothing she had ever felt before. His lips captured hers, both of them duelling, devouring the other like they had never before.

“Ahem,” a distant voice sounded, interrupting their kiss. “If the two of you are done snogging like woodland nymphs Zeus would like to speak to the both of you,” stated a straight-faced Poseidon.

“We weren’t snogging like woodland nymphs,” retorted Oliver, as both he and Felicity rose from their seats and walked towards the throne room.

“Would have fooled me,” taunted Poseidon, “Mr. Heart Eyes,” his eyebrow waggling at Oliver.

A growl of annoyance rumbled deep within Oliver’s chest as they entered the hallow room.

The nerves Felicity had felt prior to entering the room tripled as they took their positions in front of the seated gods and goddesses.

“We have come to a final decision,” announced Zeus, as he stood from his seat, waving his hand as Aphrodite, shackled in chains, appeared in front of them all. “For your betrayal and defiance of this family, I condemn you Aphrodite to live an immortal life as a true reflection of what lay beneath your skin, stripped of all yours powers as the Goddess of Love and Beauty.”  

“Zeus,” objected Aphrodite, as she struggled against her shackles.

Felicity watched eyes widened in disbelief, as smoke surrounded Aphrodite, tangling every one of her limbs until she was cocooned in the dark smoke. The cocoon exploded moments later leaving behind a figure that she did not recognize. Where the Goddess of Love and Beauty once stood, now stood a hag. Hair white as snow, skin a sickly green, marred by as many wrinkles and scars as could fit.

“For your betrayal and defiance of me, the God of Gods, I condemn you to eternity in the Underworld as its keeper. Forever chained to the darkness of that world. No sunlight shall ever touch your skin, no breeze shall ever lift your hair, no love will ever reach your heart, no one but the dead to keep you company for eternity,” thundered Zeus’s order.

The gods and goddesses of watched as Aphrodite screamed in defiance as her body sunk into the floors of the hallowed room, destined for the dark depths Underworld.

Slowly Zeus’s gaze turned to her. Felicity breathed deep, as she straightened her back, her head held high as she stared into Zeus’s eyes. She felt Oliver’s hand tightening against hers, reassuring her that whatever decision Zeus had come to, they would face it together.

“My dear, Felicity,” Zeus spoke. “When I asked The Fates to gift me a creature to defeat my traitor long ago I could not have predicted the events that have unfolded. For that I am thankful. Olympus and the world beneath our feet are indebted to you. You stopped Hades in his plan to overthrow my place as God of all Gods and kept the box of evils intrusted to you long ago, safe. For that I am most grateful.”

Questions still swirled in Felicity’s head as to how she had defeated Hades and kept the box safe.

“I know you still have many a questions about the circumstances that you faced in that cave. Especially about the powers that I had alluded to,” Zeus postured. “Like everything on this plane, there exists a dichotomy, a pair. With darkness there is light. With great pain comes great pleasure. Where the Earth withers and dies in autumn and winter, it grows and blooms in spring and summer. With the great evil in the box, there is great good. You are that good, dear Felicity. Elpis was never in the box. Elpis was in you. The first time you opened the box, Elpis, hope, embedded itself in you and then personified throughout the Earth. Hope has always been a part your being. It just remained dormant until it was truly needed. And you needed it to save Hephaestus and save Hephaestus it did.”

Felicity could not believe the words that were tumbling out of Zeus’s mouth. How any of this, everything that surrounded her, was real had yet to truly sink in.

“Felicity Smoak, your life as a mortal ends today,” proclaimed Zeus, causing Felicity’s heart to shutter as fear enveloped her. “I hereby decree, as the God of all Gods, the title of the Goddess of Hope and Light to you, Felicity. The powers you now have will only grow with time, becoming stronger, more powerful. Today, you begin your life as an immortal goddess, tasked with protecting those on the Earth, giving hope to all those that require it and light to all those who are in need of it.” Zeus smiled.

Stunned was one way of describing how she felt as she stared into Zeus’s eyes, disbelief colouring hers.

“Father,” Oliver questioned, equally as stunned as Felicity. Neither of them had thought that this would be a possible outcome.

“The Fates have spoken. Quire clearly sin fact. You’re both dismissed,” Zeus announced, gesturing with his hands for the two of them to leave. “We’ll call if we need you. We have to remove Aphrodite’s throne and create one for Felicity at the moment so we’re incredibly busy.”

Neither of them moved from the spot that they had been rooted to, neither knowing what to do next.

“You’re both dismissed,” sounded a slightly exasperated Zeus, pointing at the exit.

Oliver was the first to move, tugging Felicity slightly behind him, moving towards the doors.

“And Hephaestus,” spoke Hera just as the stepped out of the doors, “we expect to hearing some good news from the two of you soon,” a genuine smile plastered to her face, “considering your marriage to Aphrodite is now null and void.”

“Mother,” Felicity heard Oliver say, his voice a higher octave than she had ever heard it before.

“We’ll be seeing you soon, ” Hera replied happily, waving, right before the shut in front of their face.

“What just happened,” asked Felicity, still astounded by what had just occurred, both of her hands now clasped within Oliver’s.

“What just happened was the beginning of our future, together,” Oliver quietly spoke, his eyes filled once again with the look of happiness, hope, and love. He looked at her like she was the answer to all the questions the universe could pose.

She didn’t know who made the first move but as their arms encircled one another, their lips crashing into one another, she knew that what Oliver had spoken was the truth. Their future was just beginning, the rays of the sunlight shining upon them.

 

**…**

 

The moon glowed in the inky night sky, stars twinkling all around them.

Peace surrounded them as they looked out onto the Aegean coastline from their home away from home atop a secluded cliff on the island of Symi.

The two of them had stolen away to Greece for a few days to get away from their hectic reality. Felicity’s business had only grown, becoming larger and larger, and named one of the up and coming IT security firms in the world.

Oliver couldn’t help but be as overjoyed as Felicity as she became the CEO of a multinational corporation. Pride was all he felt as she reached one milestone after another.

But tonight was not about celebrating one of those milestones. No, tonight he would hopefully be making Felicity the future Mrs. Queen, solidifying for eternity the partnership between the God of Fire and the Goddess of Hope.

“Oliver?” he heard Felicity call out from the balcony, his hands trembling as he place the ring into the homemade chocolate soufflé.

“Coming,” he answered, taking a deep breath in as he tried to calm his nerves and straighten his face as to not give away the surprise.

He couldn’t help but smile as he stepped and saw the faint glow of light surrounding her. He had lived for so long in the darkness without her that every time he looked upon her face he could feel his heart flutter. The love they shared was unlike anything in the world, so unexpected, so precious. He loved her with every part of his being. He never wished to part from her again. She was his be all and end all.

“Have room for some dessert,” he asked smiling, as The Fates looked upon them, the string bonding the two of together becoming unbreakable in that instant.

  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your comments are always appreciated, good or bad, so comment away. :) 
> 
> If you're reading my other multi-chapter fic, I am in my last stages of writing its last couple of chapters as well. So hang on they are coming. I promise! 
> 
> I have another multi-chapter fic coming soon. I hope to have the first chapter up before Christmas (fingers crossed). Let's just say you've never seen Felicity Smoak in such a light before. ;)

**Author's Note:**

> As always, I love hearing what you have to say, good or bad, so comment below!


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